What the World Fears
by Sabaku Ookami
Summary: Kushina, Mikoto, and Hisoka go to Uzu no Kuni which had recently been inhabited by demons are under orders to kill the demons so humans could settle on the island once more. During their mission, they run across a blond haired teenager who commands the demons and several otherworldly creatures... only to discover the teenager is in fact Kushina's lost son, Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the work that I was going where I was neglecting all of my other fanfics. I'd apologize but I don't feel like it :p

A/N 2: This is a crossover between Naruto, Shin Megami Tensei series, and the Geneforge series. If you don't know what Geneforge is... Go Google it... or not, I'll be explaining quite a bit of what's in geneforge, so you can learn it here if you want. There will probably be a bunch of other things I've crossed over with but... that's for you to figure out. I don't want to make a long list.

Now... yeah, It's another one. Don't ask why I keep creating new ones, I'm just cleaning out ideas from my head and trying to remove writer's block that I have for the rest of my stories. As always; ncpfan has helped quite alot with this story as a whole, so if you're going to leave me a review, send him a pm as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

This is necessary, especially to those who have played Geneforge or any of the SMT games, so here, warning: There will be a lot of moral choices that Naruto will make, many of which you may not agree with. If you don't like it... oh well.

And Yes, I know... bad summary and title. I'll fix them later.

Now without further procrastination: Enjoy the story.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

_Long ago, in ages preceding antiquity, long before even the days during which the Sage of the Six Paths lived, there existed a magnificent people – a people possessed of such power and skill that they were both worshiped as gods and feared as demons. They had the power to create life from nothing, and d__e__stroy life, making it cease to be. They had made barren lands fertile and lush with plant and animal life of countless varieties. Even intelligent life was not beyond their ability to create. These people, endowed with such power beyond i__m__agining, were known as the Shapers!_

_With the exception of only the Bijuu, many of the world's thought-to-be-mythical creatures could boast their origins from the Shapers: vampires, werewolves and various other were-animals, chimera, dra__g__ons, phoenixes, and great and terrible monsters of the land and sea. Many Shapers created life simply for the joy of watching their creations live and frolic about, while others created life with var__i__ous purposes in mind: some were created to be loyal servants to perform their creators' bidding wit__h__out question, while others were created to fight their masters' foes, unleashing untold devastation u__p__on them. Many of the Shapers would even create living tools and weapons that could either act of their own accord, or as extensions of the Shaper themselves – living suits of armor, living blades, great siege engines that could move and operate without a driver – no form of life was beyond their ability to produce. As many varied beings as there were created by Shapers, so too the Shapers themselves were quite va__r__ied as individuals. But varied as they were, they all shared one common value: they all loved the idea of life!_

_The Shapers used to rule the lands and their authority was absolute__. However, despite their absolute authority over their own lands and creations, Shapers themselves were also governed by laws, both of their own esta__b__lishment, as well as those of nature, such as the limits of their physical bodies. They knew quite well that their abilities could destroy the world if not properly regulated and restrained, and with great power also came great responsibility. To this end, four prime directives were esta__b__lished to govern the use and protection of a Shaper's power._

_First and foremost, a Shaper was to protect and guard the secrets of their power with all that they were, even if it meant going so far as giving up their lives, or taking the lives of those who would steal those secrets. Only those whom the Shaper had deemed worthy could be taught to become Shapers themselves. It was imperative that such power not be allowed to find its way into the wrong hands._

_The second directive involved the responsible use of power by the Shaper. Shapers were never to use their abilities in such a fashion that would be detrimental to the world not shaped by the Shaper. In addition, Shapers were never to use their powers to bring direct harm to intelligent lifeforms not cr__e__ated by the Shapers, unless inaction would cause undue harm to any Shaper's realms or creations, or would cause undue harm to the world as a whole. Shapers had both the responsibility to act and to refrain from action when appropriate._

_The third directive tied closely into the first and second directives: should a Shaper compromise either the first or second directive, all other Shapers were to take immediate action, putting any and all personal differences aside, to either discipline the rogue Shaper, or failing that, to eliminate them. N__a__ture had to be properly preserved, and the Shapers' abilities were meant to enhance the physical plane, not damage or destroy it._

_The final directive was that a Shaper had to ensure complete and unquestioned obedience from the beings that they created. In addition to this, a Shaped being was absolutely forbidden from learning the Shaping Arts. Should this two-part directive be compromised by the Shaped being in any way, the Shaper responsible for its existence was to immediately erase said existence without hesitation. The due sentence for violating this directive for the Shaped being was the annihilation of the Shaped being – they were not merely killed; their existence was completely destroyed. Mercy was allowed concer__n__ing the first half of the directive, as a repentant being could be forgiven or at least given a lenient punishment while being allowed to continue to exist__._

_Thus were the prime directives of the Shaper Order. Never once had these directives been violated by any Shaper. Be they good or evil, pacifist or bloodthirsty butcher, all Shapers were made to __understand the e__x__treme gravity of their power and responsibility before being allowed to claim the title of Shaper. _

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The night sky of Konohagakure no Sato was giving way to the yellow-orange glow of flames. Just moments ago, screams of terror and agony were mingled in with loud battle cries, but they were all drowned out by the primal roars of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The village was a battlezone, with half of her buildings and entire sections missing from her defensive wall. Dead bodies could be seen everywhere, the rancid stench of putrid and burned flesh, coupled with rivers of blood oppressing the senses of the survivors.

Word was beginning to get passed around as to what had transpired: the Yondaime Hokage had defeated the mighty bijuu somehow. The details were unclear, and many were speculating as to how it was done. Some said that the Yondaime had managed to kill it, while others were saying that it was sent back to Makai. Still others had heard that the Yondaime had sealed the great demon away. As time went on, it was learned that the great beast had been sealed into a newborn child.

There were many in the village who had the sense to know that the sealing of the beast was exactly that: a sealing of something into something else. Among the majority, however, a panic began to arise, as they feared that the infant must have been taken over by the beast. The shinobi had done their best to assure those in panic that this was not so, as there was no longer any of the oppressive chakra or killing intent of the beast to be felt anywhere. While this placated some, many more began giving way to irrational fear and began to shout out for the execution of the infant, whom they had also learned was given the name Naruto Uzumaki, so that the Kyuubi could plague them no longer.

Young Naruto was currently fast asleep in the maternity ward of Konoha Hospital, his mother sleeping in a room not too far from him. The medical staff attending him had all quickly fallen in love with the child, finding the whisker-like birthmarks on his face to be quite adorable. He had woken briefly when the newly-reinstated Sandaime Hokage had dropped him off to be given standard newborn treatments, and instead of crying as most newborns would, he somehow focused his eyes on each of the nurses present, and smiled and giggled at all of them. Every last one of them wanted to give little Naruto special attention, and they all couldn't help but think that he would be a lady-killer when he grew up. The lone visitor currently in Naruto's room, however, was not one of those staff, and his intentions toward Naruto were murderous.

"With this, the Yondaime's sacrifice won't be in vain," he whispered in affirmation, steeling himself in preparation for the act he was about to commit – an act that he knew was abominable, and would haunt him for the rest of his life. He knew that this child in no way deserved death, but the demon could only be destroyed if its vessel was killed – this had to be done. He steeled his resolve and with slow but determined steps, began to approach little Naruto's crib.

The kunai in his hand reflected the light of the moon coming through the window off its sharpened edges as he raised it to strike this poor unfortunate child down, a lone tear escaping his eye as he began to mourn the innocent, untainted, pure little life he was about to take with the demon's own. Upon seeing his innocent, smiling face sleeping peacefully, he hesitated for the briefest instance. In his hesitation, he hadn't noticed several strips of paper beginning to swirl around his arms and legs until they began to come together cohesively and wrap him up. His torso and neck were embalmed immediately afterwards, immobilizing him.

"W-what the hell is this?!" the lone shinobi cried out in alarm, surprised that he had been caught completely off-guard despite paying close attention to ensure that no others were present to interfere with the purpose he had come to accomplish.

The only response the man heard was a sound like the fluttering of paper that grew louder and louder as more paper strips came together cohesively around his body. Once his entire body was wrapped, he began to convulse as several thousand volts of electricity coursed through his body, frying his nervous system and internal organs, killing him within seconds. The strips of paper came off the the man's body, allowing it to drop to the floor, the corpse still twitching and convulsing from the lingering voltage.

After a few moments, those same paper strips wrapped themselves around the sleeping baby, though much more softly and carefully than they had around his would-be killer. Once wrapped, with only his little face exposed, the strips of paper lifted themselves with their precious carge,and vanished without a sound or a trace.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Aww…such a lovely little child," said Kikuri,somewhat surprised that one of her servants brought her a human child of all things. It had been some time, centuries even, since she had seen a human up close or touched reached over and took the baby from the paper arms of the shikigami that brought him to her. When it had unwrapped the child, she noticed that he was a boy…a boy who had nothing on. She took note of how his pink skin and his blond wisps of hair differed so greatly from her own dark gray hue and gleaming silver hair. One peculiar oddity she noticed were the three perfectly-symmetrical whisker-like etching on his face…birthmarks, maybe? They didn't look like scars or injuries, but she'd never before seen such a feature on a human. The child reacted instinctively in his sleep to the soft, warm silky folds of her pink kimono. A moment later, the child's eyes opened as he let out a yawn.

Kikuri immediately found herself completely lost in the most hypnotizing electric blue eyes she had ever seen. As his gaze somehow focused on her, he smiled and giggled, reaching his hands out. She brought him closer to her face, and he immediately began to play with the two magatama that she wore to keep her hair up. Her heart melted upon seeing his smile, and she couldn't help the warm, loving smile of her own that made its way across her features. She leaned in and kissed his face tenderly.

As she looked upon his wondrous visage, she instantly became his mother in her own mind. She began speaking aloud, voicing her thoughts to nobody in particular, "It does get boring watching the dead get reborn over and over again from a distance, letting the fields of farmers and such have a decent harvest. Plus those two idiots haven't been fighting in the last several centuries…" she muttered, frowning in annoyance at the thought of mediating between those two insufferable, impossible and intolerable idiots, "…I really do need something else to which I can devote my full attention."

She looked back down at the child in her arms, smiling once more as she caressed the baby's left cheek with a finger and talking to him with motherly, gentle affection, "And you, little one, now have it all. I don't know where you came from, so I can't exactly send you back, so I am going to be your mother from now on! Would you like that, hmm?"

The boy gave her a toothless grin as he giggled once again. She smiled wider in response and cooed, "Glad you approve. So what should we call you, hmm?"

He reached his arms out to her face once again, and this time she noticed a taped bracelet around hiw wrist. Examining it, she saw that it had a few figures on it: "Name: Uzumaki, Naruto, DOB: October 10, Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz, Length: 19 in."

"Ahh, so you're name's Naruto Uzumaki, is it?" Kikuri cooed at the infant once more, eliciting another giggling grin from him. She continued, "And it seems that you like your name, too! Well, then, that's the name I'll call you by. And who knows? When you finally grow into manhood, maybe your name can help you find out where you were originally born…"

At the thought of her new son one day leaving her, Kikuri felt herself becoming somewhat downcast. Naruto seemed able to sense this, as he began to moan in distress. Bringing herself back to him she smiled once more, "But never forget that no matter where you're from, your home is here with me – with Kaa-chan!"

Naruto grinned and giggled once more as her mood improved. She then began to look around with a mischievous, yet indignant glare, all the while saying in a cooing voice, "Now where did that Shikigami get to, so I can burn it to a crisp for taking a child from the mortal realm?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"WHERE IS MY SON?!" Kushina shouted, right after she had kicked the door to the Hokage's office off of its hinges and stompedover to Sarutobi's desk. Her killing intent was drowning the room, her chakra was flaring, and her hair was floating of its own accord, taking on the appearance of nine tails that were whipping to and fro. The ANBU currently in Sarutobi's office had been frightened upon seeing this very powerful, and very enraged kunoichi ominous making her way towards them. They became even more frightened upon seeing several unconscious ANBU members in the hallway outside.

"SARUTOBI!" she shouted as she slammed her hands down on the desk in front of her and leaned forward, glaring into the old man's eyes.

"Where! Is!My! Baby?!" she growled each word out angrily,her posture belying her readiness to kill anyone that would keep her son from herdespite how hurt she was from the Kyuubi being removed from her earlier.

"K-Kushina," stammered the newly reinstated Hokage, surprised to see her up and about…and with the energy to work herself into such a state, "If you'll just calm dow…".

"Where is he?!" she interrupted loudly, focusing all of her killing intent at him, "Where are you keeping my son, you old fucking monkey?!"

"K-Kushina, please calm down," said Hiruzen at the irate mother, "I…we…we don't know where your son is, Kushina. He was sleeping in the maternity ward at the hospital, but when I went to check on him, he was gone…and a jounin was lying dead on the floor. I'm not sure what happened bu-" he was cut off by Kushina punching him in the face, sending him into the wall just below his panoramic window, the force of the impact creating an indent and cracks where slammed into it. Kushina gave him no quarter as she leaped across the desk and placed one hand around his robes and cocked back the other in a fist

"First, that bastard of a husband takes him, and now you take him, and THEN YOU LOSE HIM?!" Kushina yelled as she continued to punch the old Hokage, easily escaping the grasp of the ANBU that were trying to restrain her, "Find him! Find him or I'll kill you! You senile bastard! I'll k-" she stopped as one of the ANBU hit her in the back of the neck, knocking her out.

Hiruzen blinked his eyes in an effort to shake off the pain and dizziness from Kushina's beating. Once he could see straight, he stood up slowly and turned to his ANBU, "Take her to the hospital…and inform the doctors to ensure that she gets the rest she needs. Hopefully she'll be a lot calmer when she wakes up. Tell the doctors that I want to be informed the moment she does."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," replied one of the ANBU, not believing the redhead would be any calmer when she woke up. If anything, he figured she'd be even angrier about being stopped mid-pummeling. He shrugged in resignation. She wouldn't be his problem when she did wake up; it wasn't him she was angry with. He picked up the unconscious redhead, carried her over his shoulder, and disappeared using shunshin.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kushina had woken up eighteen hours after being delivered to the hospital. A few minutes after regaining consciousness, Sarutobi attempted to explain the situation to Kushina again. Kushina's anger had not lessened towards the old man; it had only changed in form. Her white-hot rage had simmered down into ice-cold fury, and Sarutobi's heart had sunk the moment he saw her expression. She now held a grudge – a grudge that she would likely never let go. She would never forgive him, and that pained him greatly.

Once Kushina had been released and sent home, she was given several weeks' leave to come to terms with what happened. Her friends, to her immense gratitude, came rallying to her support. Mikoto Uchiha and Hisoka Hyuuga could be found with her every single day of her leave, whether at her own home or at one of theirs. Their husbands did not approve of the amount of time that their wives spent with the woman, but Fugaku Uchiha let it go when at times he would see his own infant son, Sasuke, and try to imagine what he would feel if what happened to Kushina had happened to him. Hiashi Hyuuga, however, didn't let it go, and it took Kushina herself making dire threats against the man to get him to back off. Knowing how powerful Kushina was, he relented.

Once the weeks of leave were over, Kushina returned to active duty. She and Mikoto had been paired into a two-man ANBU cell, frequently finding themselves out of the village. Hisoka gave birth to her first daughter, Hinata, two weeks after Kushina returned to service.

To her credit, Kushina never lost hope – she always kept an ear to the ground for word about her missing son. Mikoto and Hisoka always smiled at Kushina's determination – she insisted that she somehow knew he was still alive out there somewhere, and no matter how long it took or how far she had to go, she would find him. Having children of their own the same age as Naruto would have been, they could easily empathize with her.

Aside from Mikoto, Hisoka, and the Ichiraku family at her favorite ramen stand, she had essentially closed herself off from the rest of the village. There were a few instances where she would hear people speaking out against her demon of a child, and about how it was fortunate that he had been taken from the village. Kushina had killed more than a few of Konoha's citizens…and shinobi…when such words were heard. Sarutobi did nothing in response to these deaths, despite numerous objections to the contrary. If she wouldn't forgive him, at the very least, she would know that he was in her corner, and that if he needed anything, he would gladly accommodate her. He even made sure to have Jiraiya use his spy network to try to get some news of what had happened to her boy.

Years passed, and after the birth of her second daughter, Hanabi, Hisoka also returned to active ninja service. She was added to Kushina's and Mikoto's team, making them a three-man ANBU cell. Eventually, Sasuke and Hinata both graduated from the ninja academy and became genin. On that particular day, Kushina found herself in a much more reflective mood than she would normally experience. As she watched Mikoto and Hisoka congratulating Sasuke and Hinata, Kushina found herself wondering what it would have been like to see Naruto graduate. This train of thought led her to suddenly ask herself what Naruto was doing at that very moment…

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Twelve-year-old Naruto and his mother were walking through one of the many abandoned places in the human world. This one had been an underground city. Now a ruin, this was once a place where humans like him used to live, but it was now overrun with demons of the more frenzied and bloodthirsty variety. Places such as this would provide Naruto with provisions, tools, and other things for him to use; after all, human necessities weren't exactly in high demand or supply among goddess-class demons.

"Now, Naruto-kun, it might be very dangerous in there, so I want you to do whatever I tell you to. Understand?" questioned Kikuri seriously as she narrowed her eyes on him, "Your training isn't over yet, so if there's anything too powerful for you to handle in there, you immediately run back to me."

"Right, Kaa-san," replied Naruto nodding. They didn't make excursions like this very often, but when they did, he found that it was usually a good idea to do exactly as his mother said.

They continued inward, walking over worn cobblestones and tiles while noticing collapsed columns and supports. Blood stains that had somehow lasted through the centuries still stained the floors and walls, though no bones or any other evidence of life could be found – a fact that Naruto found to be quite disturbing.

He was brought out of his musings by his mother's instructions, "Sochi-kun, you look around here while I go make sure there isn't anything deeper in that would want to come and see what we're up to, okay?"

"Okay," he responded compliantly.

"Good boy," she offered with a smile and a gentle hand to his face, caressing it gently as she turned to search her designated area. He watched her disappear into a side corridor which he guessed would lead her into the lower levels. An odd sloshing sound caused him to suddenly turn around. Seeing the source of the sloshing, he sighed upon catching sight of several oozing drip slimes.

"I hate slimes," he complained aloud in a deadpan. He raised his hand toward them, and several of the slimes erupted in flames.

"Come on," he said to them with morbid amusement, "It's not like any of you have brains so just keep sliding closer. It'll make killing you a whole lot faster."

He spent the next few minutes burning slimes alive until the rest figured out to leave him alone or died. It was mostly the latter.

"I'm going to find Kaa-san," Naruto told himself with complete boredom, seeing as he had nothing better to do and she wasn't back yet. He walked down the corridorhe saw his mother walk walked down the corridorwhich continued downward by way of a descending flight of stairs, then he started hearing an odd sound every so often. He walked to the only door that anywhere near him and opened it. He stared into the room to the sight of his mother fighting a taraka demon with several dozen bodies of lesser demons scattered around the two.

Both the taraka and his mother turned their heads to the door. Upon seeing her son, Kikuri's expression became one of fright.

"Naruto,run!" she ordered quickly and urgently, though still a bit too slow as the demon swung one of its four swords at the blond boy. She dove right into the path of the oncoming blade without a moment's thought or hesitation and took the hit for him.

Looking up at him in desperation, and with a grimace of horrible pain, she told him again as loudly as her body would let her, "Naruto…run away!"

She fell to the floor, having used the last of her strength to tell him to get himself to safety. Naruto froze in place even as the taraka walked toward him and swung its blade again. Suddenly, everything went dark…

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kushina couldn't shake the horrible foreboding feeling that just flooded her heart. She didn't know what it was – it was simply there. She shed a single tear…then another…and as more tears came, sobs started forcing their way up her throat. She collapsed to her knees and started to wail. She somehow knew that this horrible feeling was connected to her son. Something was wrong, and she couldn't do anything without knowing where he was.

After that experience, Kushina's heart had become colder, still. She was grateful for Mikoto's and Hisoka's friendship and loyalty; nobody else would have stood by her after she'd become more volatile, and even more aggressive – as though what had happened made her heart hard. Her personality developed more of an edge. Before, she had been certain that her baby boy was still alive, now she didn't know. Her hope hadn't completely dwindled, but her certainty was now gone.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Four Years Later

XxxxxX

Uzu no Kuni:the home of Uzushiogakure no Sato, the ancestral birthplace of the Uzumaki Clan, and for the past decade, home to demons. Since Uzushio's destruction until now, the island was ignored and left alone. The demons on the island left the world alone, so the world left them alone, except that now the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni issued a mission to Konoha to wipe out the demons so it could be inhabited by humans again.

And on the small boat currently docked at the ruined and mostly destroyed docks of the main port city on Uzu no Kuni were three ANBU tasked with fulfilling the mission.

"Let's go, girls," Mikoto said to Kushina and Hisoka before the three of themdisembarked and started their mission, not once noticing the disappearing figure that had been watching them.

After a solid day's hike through grisly wilderness and vegetation, they arrived at the only single…structure…standing anywhere nearby: a massive tree that dwarfed most houses. They saw a long staircase that ended at a wide plateau, which seemed to serve as a front porch due to the door built into the massive trunk of the tree at the opposite end of the balcony. The base of the tree had two openings, one on either side of the stairs that led either underneath the tree, or into it - it was hard for them to tell with the three dozen shikigami and various other creatures blocking their path.

According to the intel they received when briefed on this mission, it was either this tree-like structure itself, or whatever was inside the tree that was commanding the demons on Uzu no Kuni. Looking at the tree, they now knew that something…or someone…lived inside it, but Kushina wasn't sure if they could defeat that individual. They were pretty exhausted already and she was down to about half of her chakra. She froze as the mob of demons in front of them moved separated into two ranks, allowing a wide berth in the middle as a blond haired teenager wearing forest-like fatigue pants, a white shirt, light gray fingerless gloves, a black trench coat and dark green and black boots calmly and confidently walked toward them in measured steps.

She noticed an odd device on his left forearm. There was another on his head over his right ear. Both devices seemed connected by a wire. She also noted the metallic appearance of the two devices that the wire connected. He also had some sort of device over his eyes that looked damaged since there was a deep cut in the middle of it and the lower half of his face was covered by black cloth. A strange light blue creature that was very thin floated around him silently as well; it was different from all of the other demons they had seen so far.

"Identify yourself! Are you the one controlling these demons?!" demanded Kushina at the teenager dangerously, ready to strike at a moment's notice. They'd had to fight their way through several waves of demons to get from the docks to this tree. Tired and lower on chakra than she would have liked to be, Kushina was in no mood for games or tricks. She certainly wasn't going to take a chance at being attacked on all sides from all of these demons at once.

"Are you always this hostile to people you've never met before?" the teenager asked in a deadpan, though something akin to disgust could barely be heard in his tone, "Why Kaa-sama thought I would want to interact with humans is entirely beyond me, especially if they're all like you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kushina demanded. The teen said nothing, so Kushina continued after a few seconds, "We've had to fight your demons constantly since we arrived in order to get here, and I'm in no mood for lip from a snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears punk like you! Now answer me!"

"First you invade my home, and then you make demands of me on my front doorstep. Do you humans know anything at all about manners and courtesy?" he asked in response, again with a hint of disgust in his tone, "The only reason you had to fight those demons is because you attacked them. If you hadn't attacked them, they would have left you alone."

"So despite the fact that every time we've ever seen demons, they've attacked us without provocation, somehow your demons are…peaceful demons? What kind of idiots do you take us for?!"

"The special kind," he retorted back, continuing with a straight face before Kushina could get a word in edgewise, "Let me ask you one thing. Are demons truly evil? If you think they are,you're wrong. The power of demons that frightens you so much isn't evil, it's normal. Everyone in the world has power within them, even the three of you. Power makes no exceptions, nor does it differentiate between possessors."

"Shut your damn trap, punk!" growled Kushina angrily.

"What a foul mouth," said the blond teenager in the same calm voice. Kushina then drew her weapon and charged the blond with a loud yell.

Said teen simply stood there as several of the demons began to bar her way, defending their master from this aggressor. She began to slice through them, despite the fact that they simply stood in her way. Once they had all been struck down, she stood there, panting hard and glaring at him furiously.

"Again, they did not attack you, even when you struck them down," he stated, though his tone became an angry one as he added, "You'll pay for that."

Suddenly, a torrent of flame erupted in front of the blond and sped in Kushina's direction, only to miss its intended target when Mikoto performed the Kawarimi jutsu, taking the attack head-on.

"Sweet, but futile," he said with what sounded like regret, "She sacrificed herself for you, but in the end is that really a kindness? You would have only been burdened with the responsibility of your own injuries, and instead you're responsible for hers."

"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Kushina, holding Mikoto who was alive but in a lot of pain.

"Yelling at me will gain you nothing. I'm not afraid of you," stated the blond seriously, "But you are very afraid of me."

They would never admit it, but the teenager was right. They _were_ afraid of him, deathly afraid. The young man radiated raw power and didn't even have a hint of killing intent behind it. By contrast, he didn't look the least bit bothered by them. It was as if he regarded them as mere insects, not dangerous and formidable kunoichi.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Kushina shouted angrily as she ran at the blond once again.

The teenager vanished and then reappeared in front of Kushina. Before she was even aware, he punched her in the gut, and then in her face, shattering her porcelain ANBU mask before she landed on the ground a few feet away.

"My first human opponents and they're nothing more than pathetic little girls…what a shame," said the blond calmly. He walked over until he stood directly above Kushina. He then crouched down, stared at her intently, and said, "Stand down and surrender. There's nothing more you can do. There's no point in continuing. Everything you've done has been for nothing. You have no weapon, you have no chakra, and your body is weak, bruised and beaten."

Kushina stared back at him, anguish replacing her fury before she passed out.

Hisoka had her Byakugan activated the entire time, in the hopes that she could hopefully find a weakness on this man's attacks or his guard. But at the same time, she noticed that he wasn't an aggressive man, either. The blond didn't even seem to acknowledge them combat-wise, but he was not trying to kill them, either. In fact, he wasn't the aggressor in this conflict; Kushina was. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that when they were fighting those demons yesterday, they hadn't attacked her or her friends outright, and when attacked, they fought mostly defensively. This young man was the exact same – he could kill them with no effort from what she could see, and he probably wouldn't regret it, either, but he only attacked when he was attacked himself. Having enough sense to know that this man was more than reasonable, she decided on a more diplomatic approach.

"Who- No, _what_ are you?" Hisoka asked, staring at the young man suspiciously.

The blond stood up and looked at her. Despite the equipment over his eyes, she could feel his piercing gaze drilling into her. It was even worse than when the Hyuuga Clan elders or Hiashi would glare at her as though they were studying her,and they could actually see through things and people.

His tone was notably calmer, and even somewhat friendly, as he responded to her inquiry, "I am a Shaper. I am the absolute master of the life that I create."

He paused for a brief moment to remove the device over his eyes before continuing. His eyes were dichromatic: One being a deep electric blue, while the other was as red as a ruby.

"However," he continued with a hint of amusement, "I am guessing that your question pertains to whether or not I am human, am I right?"

Hisoka nodded cautiously, in the hopes that she hadn't somehow offended him.

He answered her plainly, without showing any signs of being offended, "Yes, I am human. But unlike you three, I have not lived among humans, nor was I raised by them, so while I am human by birth, I choose not to bother with classifying myself as human or otherwise, as you humans are wont to do when dealing with 'non-human' beings. Nor have I weakened myself to become a pawn for the fools in power, be they human or otherwise. The troubles of the outside world…are none of my concern."

"A rather cryptic answer, but…thank you for explaining yourself. So what now?" Hisoka asked, slightly worried about what was going to happen.

"The red-haired woman, the one who is a _special_ kind of stupid…" Hisoka couldn't stop the giggle that came in response to the blond's assessment of Kushina, "…and the young dark-haired woman will be healed, and then you'll leave this island. So I'll have a few of my servants collect them and start healing them. You're welcome to do as you please until they're conscious. But please refrain from killing any more of the demons. If you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone."

He drew the device back over his eyes and started to walk towards the staircase leading up to the front door. Hisoka began to follow him up. About halfway up the stairs, Hisoka realized something…

"I'm sorry, but I haven't introduced myself to you. My name is Hisoka Hyuuga. May I have the pleasure of yours, please?"

The blond stopped his stride and turned to her with a smile, "It's good to know that humans aren't as hostile or as rude as your friend made them out to be. I would be happy to give you my name, Hisoka-san. I am Naruto Uzumaki."

"Wait…what?!" Hisoka asked, her smile instantly morphing into a gape of utter shock.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A/N: Onward to chapter 2...


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto wasn't exactly sure how to respond to Hisoka's shock.

Hisoka's tone seemed to grow urgent as she asked, "Did you just say your name is Naruto Uzumaki?"

"That's…correct…" Naruto answered somewhat warily.

"Are you sixteen years old?" Hisoka asked, her tone somehow becoming more urgent.

"How do you kno…" Naruto began to ask, before Hisoka interrupted in her urgency.

"Do you have three whisker-like birthmarks on each of your cheeks? Will you let me see your face?!" her urgency made her inquiries louder and louder.

"How do you know all of these things about me?!" Naruto demanded, raising his voice for the first time since his encounter with this woman and her two companions.

"Please!" Hisoka pleaded as she grabbed his hands and stared into his eyes intently, the beginnings of tears beginning to make themselves known in her ducts, "It's important. I'll answer any questions you have about how I know these things, if you'll just…please…do as I ask?"

Seeing her urgency as well as her desperation, Naruto relented. She let go of his hands, which allowed him to remove his visor and the cloth that was hiding his face, revealing three whisker-like birthmarks on each cheek. What Hisoka noticed the most was the blend of his features – a perfect mix of Kushina Uzumaki's and Minato Namikaze's, making him better-looking than even his father was.

Hisoka gasped softly as she stared in wonder at his face. She slowly brought a hand up to his face, brushing against it with just her fingertips. After a few moments of this, she exclaimed just above a whisper, "My Kami, it's you…it's really you!"

"Hisoka-san, please, tell me what you know about me," Naruto asked of her, much more calmly this time. Hisoka's response was to fling herself into him and wrap her arms around him. Naruto stood frozen for a few moments before slowly and awkwardly bringing his own arms around the woman.

"We're from Konohagakure no Sato. Mikoto Uchiha is the black-haired woman's name…" she pulled back to look him directly in the eye before telling him, "…and the redhead's name is Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto, Kushina's your mother, and she's been looking for you non-stop for the last sixteen years, ever since you were taken from the maternity ward in the hospital!"

Naruto allowed his arms to drop as he stepped back. The look on his face was blank – Hisoka couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. His eyes then narrowed, as though he was thinking. Was he trying to determine how to process the information he'd just been given? What was going through his head?

"Naruto, are…are you alright?" Hisoka asked carefully before adding, "I know this is a lot to take in, but…"

She had been expecting him to blow up, or to faint, or some other similar extreme reaction. She didn't expect to be interrupted by a soft, calm chuckle.

"So, that 'special' red-haired woman is my birth mother?" he asked, somehow incredulous and calm at the same time.

Hisoka nodded, her confusion at his reaction evident on her face.

"Well then, I can honestly say I've never been more glad that I was taken from that hospital," Naruto admitted matter-of-factly.

"Err…what?" Hisoka asked, confusion now evident in her tone as well.

"Well, from what I can gather, she's the kind of person who shoots first and asks questions later, she doesn't think before she acts, and she seems to regard anyone she doesn't know as hostile," he responded, explaining himself.

"Well, that is true – she wasn't always that way, but…well…" Hisoka shrugged with an embarrassed, sheepish smile.

"Given the kind of power I have at my disposal, I certainly wouldn't want to have learned her faults and failings as I was being raised by her. Think about it – what kind of destruction do you think I would be capable of if I was like her?"

Hisoka raised an intrigued eyebrow at that, "Wow…while I certainly would have liked for you to be a little happier about being reunited with your mother, you do raise a valid point, there. I'd be scared to death to imagine what her personality in conjunction with your power could produce."

Naruto changed the subject, "Well, your friends are likely being treated by now, so why don't we step inside my home? You've been traveling pretty hard and fast for over a full day, so you must be hungry."

With that, Naruto offered her his arm. Hisoka regarded the arm bent at the elbow and extended to her, then looked back at him in confusion.

"A courtesy to a lady," Naruto explained, answering her unasked question, bringing a relaxed smile to her face.

"In that case, thank you," Hisoka responded happily as she accepted his invitation and took his arm in both of her own, allowing him to lead her into his home.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After being allowed to freshen up and provided with more comfortable attire, one of Naruto's…"serviles", she believed was the term the creature used?…brought Hisoka to what appeared to be a sitting room, or a private dining room. Naruto was there, preparing a kettle of tea with two cups and accompanying saucers on a silver tray, while two plates of steaming, freshly-cooked food had been set on the table – game of some kind, seasoned with herbs, with various vegetables in what smelled like garlic teriyaki sauce. Her escort announced her presence to the master of the house before leaving them to their own devices, shutting the door behind him.

"You look quite lovely, Hisoka-san," Naruto greeted as a smile slowly crossed his face at the sight of his guest. Naruto took a brief instant to regard the woman standing before him: her hair was down, having been freshly washed and conditioned – the midnight-blue locks fell straight down, flowing freely to just below her shoulder blades, shining with a healthy sheen. She had also been made up by one of his serviles, the light cosmetics applied to her angelic face accenting her lips and her eyes just enough to make them stand out. Those eyes were so beautiful in Naruto's opinion – pale lavender irises without a pupil, they somehow expressed this woman's loving and caring nature in such a way that would be missed if she had normal-looking eyes. He also found that the shy smile and the mild blush she was currently sporting showed these aspects of her nature even more grandly.

He took another brief instant to take in the garment he had supplied, and how she filled it out. She was in a breathtakingly beautiful sleeveless silk dress. The bodice was a halter top that wrapped around the back of her neck. The bustline extended to just below the middle of her sternum, and the comfortable tautness of the top served to bring her very generous and shapely bust together in a way that perfectly enhanced and flaunted her cleavage. The skirt ended just above mid-thigh, exposing a very shapely pair of legs. Leather tie-on sandals adorned her feet. The dress accentuated Hisoka's voluptuous hourglass figure.

It was the coloring of the dress, however, that impressed Hisoka the most. The garment as a whole seemed to shimmer and glow in bright pastels, but with a metallic sheen. Patches of bright baby blue, lilac, pink, soft yellow and pale orange shifted across the fabric as it caught the light at different angles – the effect was almost magical in its appearance.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" Naruto noticed her use of the affectionate suffix, despite being a virtual stranger to her, but chose to ignore it as she continued, "…you're certainly quite generous when giving gifts."

"So you're pleased with your attire, then?"

"Very much so. I'm not accustomed to wearing clothing that…exposes so much of myself…but I find this dress to be quite comfortable. I've never worn such perfectly smooth silk; in fact, I've never even seen silk to match this. There isn't a single imperfection or loose thread, and there's almost no friction in the material."

"The dress does indeed flatter you. And what did you think of the silkworms and the creatures that wove the garment?"

"I was quite amazed to watch them work. Seeing this dress come together from nothing the way it did…I've never seen anything like it. Where did you find these insects?"

"I didn't find them…" he answered her query, giving pause just long enough to make her begin to anticipate his words, "…I created them."

Hisoka was shocked at this answer, "You…created them?"

"That's correct."

"You created them out of…what exactly?" she probed further, now highly curious.

"I created them out of nothing," he answered her straightforwardly, "I didn't build them, I caused them to exist where they literally did not beforehand."

"How is that even possible?" she asked, her eyes and mouth agape.

"I am a Shaper," he responded, reiterating the words he had used to tell her what he was, "I am the absolute Master of the life that I create."

Hisoka's eyes and jaw seemed to gape even wider as she thought to herself, '_The absolute Master of the life that he creates…so this is what he was talking about? He can literally create life from nothing? Just how powerful is he?_'

Brought out of her thoughts by a rumble from her stomach, Naruto acted quickly, "And I believe you could benefit from the meal right now, so why don't we go ahead and eat?"

The meal was a pleasant affair. Hisoka would ask Naruto about his creations, the island and his powers, while Naruto would answer what he felt he could without giving away too much about the secrets of his order. Hisoka was surprised to learn that had the insects weaving her dress taken a little more time, they could have made it any color she wished. He let her do most of the talking, knowing that it would ease her tension and allow her to drop her guard – which he needed her to do so that he could get some answers from her.

"There's something I need to know Hisoka-san," Naruto stated once they were finished eating, his tone taking on a serious, more business-like demeanor.

"Yes?"

"Why exactly are the three of you here?"

Hisoka told her host of the mission that they had been given, while Naruto poured the two of them some tea – rid the island of its demon inhabitants so that it could be inhabited by human beings safely once again. Naruto found it rather suspicious that only three kunoichi were sent to perform such a task. Once Hisoka was done with her explanation, Naruto regarded her with more than a hint of intrigued curiosity.

"So to sum it up, the three of you are from Konohagakure no Sato, you're here to kill the demons that inhabit this island, and then annex it so some fat stupid idiot can stick people here to tax them and strip the island bare. Is that about right?" he asked in a deadpan, though a serious glint could be seen in his glare. He had just set down a tray on the table in front of Hisoka, a member of the Hyuga clan from what she told him so far, as well as the only conscious member of the party of three that had trespassed onto his lands.

"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but…yes," Hisoka admitted with some embarrassment.

"And you three were the only ones sent to do this?"

"Again…yes," Hisoka admitted this while looking down.

Naruto poured more tea into both of their cups before he continued, "Well, I am sorry to inform you of this, but it will take far more than the three of you to evict me and mine from this island. We were here, first, and by rights, it's ours."

"I don't disagree with you, and I think Mikoto knew that this mission was destined to fail as well. Kushina…doesn't see the bad side of anything, so she probably came in thinking that we would come, see and conquer," replied Hisoka as she picked up her cup, sipping her tea before continuing, "I tried not to think too much about this, but I believe we were most likely sent on a suicide mission. This is wonderful tea, by the way."

"Thank you. Do you have any idea why you would be sent on a suicide mission? As far as ninja go, the three of you seem very capable. It wouldn't make much sense for a village to throw away personnel that they find valuable."

"I have no concrete answers, but I can speculate," she answered in a hurt, saddened tone.

"If you would?" Naruto offered, prompting her to explain her theory.

"Well, as you know Kushina's…an angry person. She's been that way ever since you were taken. You were taken from her the moment you were born against her will by her husband, who was our Hokage, the village leader at the time, and he did something that she…she now hates his guts for. He lost his life in doing what he did, but the previous Hokage took office again and you were supposed to be safe under his watch. But when you were taken, she became even angrier. Since then, she's become what the village would call a…malcontent.

"She never forgave either Hokage for what happened, and when word got out of what your father had done to you, they started calling you things like 'demon brat' and such under their breath," Hisoka took a moment to catch her breath – a moment which Naruto took to interject.

"So it was my father who sealed Kurama into me?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Kurama?" Hisoka asked back with confusion.

"That's his name – the name of the Kyuubi no Kitsune that's sealed inside me."

Hisoka frowned with intrigued surprised, "I didn't realize the demon had a name."

"Any intelligent demon generally has a name of their own," Naruto informed her, "Kurama's no different – the Sage of Six Paths is the one who named him."

Hisoka pondered Naruto's words for a moment, before Naruto cut her thoughts off, "My apologies for the interruption. Please continue…people were calling me names in whispers?"

"Right – well, Kushina didn't like that one bit, so she actually started beating, and even killing people who would dare talk about her son that way."

"And your Hokage didn't stop her, or charge her with any crimes?"

"None. In fact, he purposefully let her off the hook because he wanted her to know that he supported her efforts to search for you, and that he would give her anything she needed, even if she wouldn't ever forgive him for losing you on his watch."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, "Sounds like a good, compassionate man…"

"He was," Hisoka began, but Naruto caught the past tense and interrupted.

"Was?" he asked, "So he's not the Hokage anymore?"

"No, he fell in battle almost four years ago," Hisoka replied somewhat mournfully, showing that she missed the man, "The current, and Godaime Hokage, is Tsunade Senju, who is essentially a surroage mother to Kushina, and someone very dear to Mikoto and me as well. Anyway, as time went on, Kushina just seemed to grow angrier and angrier, to the point where even the Hokage began withdrawing his support from her – this was also because after so long with no trace of you, even through his own spymaster, he also resigned to the idea that you were dead. She never gave up on you, but now, she was being forced to perform missions in service to the village again, and she was no longer allowed the freedom to search for you while she was out. She's just become harder and harder for the village to handle, so I think that the powers that be sent her on this mission so that she would be eliminated. Tsunade-sama could tell that Kushina was being sent on a suicide mission, so she gave a wholehearted stamp of approval when Mikoto and I both demanded that we be sent with her. The rest of the village council objected to that, but we frankly didn't care. We wouldn't let her come here alone, even if we had to disobey the Hokage, and so…here we are."

"Now that's something - despite your suspicions about your chances of returning home alive, you still went through with the mission?" Naruto asked with surprise, clearly impressed by their loyalty to their friend.

"Yes, we did. Kushina was sent, so Mikoto and I came with her. We decided that with regards to our ninja duties, where one of us goes, the other two go as well. We…just wanted to keep our dear friend as safe as possible," Hisoka responded, her caring nature shining through once more.

Naruto smiled nostalgically. He couldn't help but remember that defining event in his life all those years ago, "My mother did the exact same thing when she protected me from a taraka demon. You should be glad that she taught me so well – I learned to think things through from her, and it's only because of her teaching me that that the three of you are still alive."

"Then please be sure to thank your mother for me, Naruto-kun," Hisoka responded, feeling truly grateful that Naruto hadn't just attacked them all in response to Kushina's overt and unwarranted hostility.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Hisoka-san. Kaa-sama lost her life to that demon four years ago."

Hisoka gasped with wide eyes as she responded, "I'm truly sorry, Naruto-kun. Please forgive my thoughtlessness…"

Naruto interrupted her by waving off her apology, "It's quite alright. You had no way of knowing, and you didn't mean any harm. Besides…" his expression morphed into one of joyful gratitude, "…she gave her life to save mine, and I can't help but be grateful to her for that, even though I do miss her terribly."

"Your mother…" Hisoka began somewhat apprehensively, "…was she a good mother to you?"

"Yes, Hisoka-san. Yes she was. Her name was Kikuri-Hime, and I couldn't have asked for a better mother. She was…" Naruto seemed to stare off into space in reminiscence, "…the most incredible woman I've ever known. She was everything I could have wanted in a parent – she was beautiful beyond description, she was…so full of life, but she was so wise. She was kind and patient – she was so accepting and understanding. She never once lost her temper with me, and looking back now, I wonder how that was even possible. She loved me with all that she was, and I loved her just as much…still do, in fact. She wasn't human, and we didn't live in this world, so she had to come here frequently in order to find me the provisions I would need to survive. She usually brought me with her so I could see this world and train here."

"If she wasn't human, what exactly was she?" Hisoka asked curiously.

"She was a goddess-class demon."

"She was a what?"

"A goddess-class demon," he reiterated his answer, "There are many different classes of demons, and they're not all evil the way most humans believe they are. Oh, she taught me so much – she taught me how to Shape, how to interact with so many different beings, how to protect myself…" he trailed off as he almost lost himself in happier memories.

Hisoka smiled gratefully as she replied, "Kushina will be glad to know that you were raised in such a loving home. Your disappearance has pained her beyond imagining."

Naruto smiled weakly, not knowing how else to respond to that. Moments later, however, his face took on a playful expression as he brought his gaze back to his beautiful guest, "You know, Hisoka-chan, one of the most important lessons Kaa-sama taught me was how to appreciate a lady and treat her with chivalry and respect. She made especially sure that I would appreciate a lady's beauty, and you, Hisoka-chan, truly stand above all ladies I've ever seen when it comes to beauty, with only your two companions and Kaa-sama possibly being your peers in that regard."

Hisoka looked at Naruto in shock and wonder as a healthy blush crept across her face. Seeing that he truly meant what he said, she couldn't help but smile warmly as she responded, "Thank you – I've never received such wonderful compliments from anyone. You're quite the strapping young man yourself, Naruto-kun. Just as well that you can make tea and cook - you're perfect husband material."

"Why, thank you," he replied with a smile as a playful glint returned to his eye, "Does this mean that you would like it if I was your husband?"

Hisoka's blush only deepened at such a bold question, "Well, err…uhmm…" she began in sputters before she managed to regain control of herself, "…I would honestly…love that…but I have to tell you…regretfully…that I already have a husband," her face became downcast at the admission, and her tone also grew quieter, as though she truly did regret being a married woman.

"I see…" Naruto began before regarding this bluish-black haired, generously endowed beauty, "…if I might be so bold…" he paused and waited for her response before she looked back at him, expecting him to continue, "…it seems to me that you're unhappy to be married?"

Hisoka was surprised at just how bold he was with a complete stranger. She was even more surprised at herself for her own reaction: she felt as though she should be offended, but she actually wanted to answer him and let him get to know her!

Choosing to let her guard down, she answered him honestly, sadness evident in both her expression and her tone of voice, "Yes, I am unhappy. My husband is Hiashi Hyuuga, Head of the Hyuuga Clan. I was made to marry him as was clan tradition for when the heir chose a spouse. He chose me. I married him because if I had not, then I would have been branded with a curse mark jutsu that the Hyuuga are known for…"

"You're referring to the Caged Bird Seal, am I correct?" Naruto interrupted her. Hisoka, surprised at the depth of Naruto's knowledge, nodded.

"I'm guessing that there's more to this – had you not complied there would have been additional consequences for others besides you, would there not?"

She nodded once more, this time expounding upon it, "My parents and siblings would have been punished for my refusal as well. I would never have seen them again, and I certainly wouldn't have known anything about their continued safety."

"I see…" he said regretfully, "…you were caught between a rock and a hard place, and you chose the better option not only for you, but for all involved."

He gazed into her eyes once more and smiled at her, "You're a truly rare specimen of humanity, Hisoka-chan - a beauty without compare on the surface, but possessing of an even greater beauty within – your selfless spirit towards your loved ones, coupled with a humility that actually gives you an almost regal air. Your husband honestly doesn't realize the magnificent woman he has in you?"

"As I said, you're the first man ever to pay me such wonderful compliments, Naru-kun…" Naruto seemed to take note of her shortening of his name as he raised an eyebrow and gave a smirk, "…but no, he doesn't understand or appreciate me at all. But it hasn't been all bad, either: he's given me two wonderful daughters that I cherish above all else, and I wouldn't trade them for the entire world. But he doesn't love them like a father should, and he certainly doesn't love me as his wife, either. I sometimes don't think he's capable of love."

Naruto couldn't help but feel for this woman who grew sadder with each admission about her sad life back in Konoha.

Deciding to go for broke, Naruto told her with warm resolve, "I can give you sanctuary, here. If you want to leave your husband and your life in Konoha, I would be happy to provide you with anything you could want or need…" he leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes, "…especially the love that a lady such as you deserves and more."

Hisoka blushed once more as she stared in shock at Naruto, her eyes wide, her mouth agape, and unable to say anything. She found herself standing up and unconsciously moving towards him slowly. When she stood in front of him, she looked down to his seated form and slowly brought a gentle hand to his face.

With a sad smile, her eyes began to water as she answered him, "That sounds wonderful, Naru-kun; it truly does. But I can't leave my daughters there. And even if I could get them out, we would be hunted down by the Hyuuga Clan. They would kill me, and forcibly take my daughters back to Konoha. I…I couldn't do that to them and leave them without their mother."

Naruto stood up and placed his own hand on Hisoka's face. She closed her eyes and leaned into the hand, her breathing beginning to increase.

Naruto began to ask her, "What if I could get your daughters out of there and guarantee their safety and yours? If I were to provide for you and give you a loving home, I would certainly do the same for them."

Hisoka looked at him in shock once again, but also with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, "Can you really do that?"

"Yes, I can. And quite easily," Naruto answered with a confidence that was so unshakable that Hisoka couldn't help but believe in him.

"Naruto-kun, why would you do all of this for me – a stranger that you barely know?" Hisoka asked, wanting to believe in him but still quite skeptical.

Naruto answered matter-of-factly, "Because you deserve it. I can tell that much. When I told you that you were a truly rare specimen of humanity, I meant it. Kaa-sama was the single most amazing woman I've ever known – I never thought I would meet a woman who would impress me as much as she did…until you came along."

Hisoka gasped in surprise once again – knowing how much Naruto loved and even worshiped the woman who raised him, she knew the full value of the compliment he had just paid her.

Naruto continued, "You're a diamond among lumps of coal. I've never met a woman like you, and I doubt I ever will again. I want to be with you, and I want you to willingly be with me. I won't force you, but I'll certainly fight for you if that's what it would take. What would it take for you to want to stay with me?"

Hisoka could only blink as she shook her head this way and that. This seemed almost too good to be true – this man, this…god of a man…wanted to give her everything she could ever dream of! What made the decision so much more enticing was that from what she had seen, he could do that and more! She tried looking into his eyes – those serious, sharp eyes – eyes that adopted a warm and gentle quality when they gazed upon her, as though she was…his heart's desire!

"Can I please think about this, Naruto-kun? I don't want to make such a decision lightly," she answered with honest sincerity.

"You can take all the time you need. Your friends will need a few days to heal from their injuries, so you'll be here at least that long. And I wouldn't expect you to make such a weighty decision on a spur of the moment, anyway."

She took a few steps back and bowed, "Thank you - for your patience, and your hospitality…Naruto-dono."

"You're welcome, Hisoka-sama. It's my honor to host you."

She turned to leave and check on her friends before she stopped. She slowly turned around and looked at Naruto once more. She walked towards him at an even pace, brought her hands up to his face once she was close enough to touch him, and leaned in without breaking pace, closing her eyes and gently yet firmly pressing her lips over his own in a lingering kiss. After a few seconds, she slowly pulled away and smiled radiantly at him before leaving, looking back once more on her way out but not breaking stride.

Naruto brought his fingers up to his lips and smiled. He left to continue his own work, happy at the idea that he would receive a favorable answer from that lovely creature.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kushina opened her eyes, her mind slowly returning to consciousness. Her whole body throbbed with a dull ache, broken only by stabs of sharper pain around her abdomen. Her ears detected what sounded like a woman humming to her left. She turned her head toward the source of the humming, and saw a red-haired woman probably around her age reading a book and humming a tune to herself. Kushina noticed the odd, pointed ears of the woman…a bloodline of some sort, maybe? She idly found herself wondering if the woman's sense of hearing had any special properties.

Putting her curiosity aside for the time being, she continued to look around the room in an attempt to gain her bearings. She saw Mikoto lying on the bed to her right - she was unconscious. She was also naked, covered from head to toe in some sort of gel-like substance. She remembered the blond's attack upon sighting the discolored areas on her friend's body, which brought about a righteous anger at that punk's audacity. The moment she thought to try to rise from her bed, the pointy-eared redhead spoke.

"Moving in your current condition would be ill-advised," stated the woman not once looking up from the book, but she stopped humming, "Your friend just went back to sleep - she'll be fine. If you move, you're likely to aggravate your injuries, which include several cracked ribs. You would find it much less painful to remain still, and your friend should remain asleep so the healing balm can finish its work more quickly."

Kushina relaxed her body and laid back down in compliance with her current doctor's orders before asking quietly with pained groans, "Where... am I?"

"My infirmary within the Master's house," the woman answered as she turned the page in her book, "Your other friend is currently dining with Master. Yes, my ears are naturally pointed, and other than my hearing being more sensitive than yours, it does not have any special characteristics. You are in Uzu no Kuni, at least I believe that is what this island was named, and again, I would not recommend rising from that bed – cracked ribs can easily become fractured and broken ribs if they are not allowed to properly heal, and synthesizing anesthetic painkilling agents can take a while, which would leave you to suffer needlessly for at least two full days."

"How…did you know what I wanted to ask?" questioned Kushina, thoroughly freaked out at the way the woman answered her questions before she even had the chance to ask them.

The woman chuckled a little before answering, "Master gifted me with the ability to read minds. It helps with patients who are unconscious or…less than willing to talk. Now you should be resting; please do so."

Kushina frowned and asked, "What do you mean by _Master_? Who is this person?"

The woman's words were odd to her; someone couldn't just _give_ another the ability to read minds. The woman remained silent as she went back to reading her book.

Annoyed at being ignored, Kushina snapped, "Hey! I asked you a question!"

The woman looked up from her book and fixed an icy glare on Kushina before answering coldly, "I am not obligated to answer your questions and I was not instructed to do anything beyond healing you and your friend. Until Master instructs me otherwise, that is all I intend to do. Not answer questions."

"What's your name, at least?" asked Kushina stubbornly.

"I was not given a name," the woman answered as she read her book, "Now please shut up so that I can continue reading."

Kushina frowned as she stared at the ceiling, "This 'Master' of yours obviously didn't give you any bedside manner, either," she muttered, annoyed that her doctor was being as uncooperative as she was.

"She doesn't need any bedside manner. I made her with the ability to heal extremely quickly," stated a familiar male voice that immediately set her on edge. She turned to see the blond teenager who had fought with her earlier walking into the room. She recognized him instantly from the devices on him, but this time he didn't have anything over his eyes or covering his lower face. His coat was also gone.

Before Kushina could blow up in anger, she froze as she stared at the blond or more accurately, the whisker marks on his cheeks and the almost exact resemblance of her dead husband, Minato.

"N-Naruto?" muttered Kushina, shocked at the visage she was seeing before her. Somehow, she knew it really was her son who had vanished sixteen years ago without any trace beyond a dead jounin. She grew ever louder as she asked in desperation, "Naruto, i-is that YOU?!"

"That's correct. And Hisoka-chan filled me in on who the two of you are," said the blond looking at her and closing his eyes in thought, "She is Mikoto Uchiha, from Konohagakure no Sato. You are Kushina Uzumaki, originally from here, but now also from Konohagakure no Sato, and my birth mother. Kaa-sama thought that someone might come looking for me one day, so she used the name given to me upon my birth to name me so that it could either lead me to my birthplace, or lead someone from my birthplace to me."

Kushina frowned at the impersonal coldness of his tone when speaking of the fact that she was his mother.

"You sound like a textbook, Naruto-kun," said a new voice and Hisoka walked in holding an odd animal in her arms and wearing a strange, shimmery prismatic mini-dress instead of her ANBU gear.

Before he could reply, he was enveloped in a hug by Kushina who had somehow leaped out of bed and made her way across to him

"My little Naruto-chan," she said tearfully, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"This is weird," muttered Naruto unsure of what to do or how to act. He slowly returned her hug and simply let her be while wondering what exactly to do since he found the situation to be very uncomfortable and awkward. After all, it wasn't every day that your birth mother was hugging you after having never seen you for sixteen years or so.

"Aahhh, ow, ow, ow," said Kushina as her chest started to hurt, she let go of Naruto and he did the same to her.

"I told you to rest, you broke your ribs again," stated the doctor calmly as she continued to read her book, not bothered by Kushina breaking her ribs again.

Kushina laid back on the bed despite wanting to hold onto her son and never let him go. Sadly, her ribs disagreed with her.

"You really should listen to her," said Naruto frowning, "She's not likely to heal you a second time unless it's life-threatening when you ignore her."

"Sort of like, 'ignore me once, shame on you. Ignore me twice…not going to happen, suffer'," said Hisoka, giggling a little at Kushina's predicament, especially given that _most_ doctors would create a huge fuss over her and patients like her.

"What's that thing in your arms, Hisoka-chan?" asked Kushina, realizing the creature in her arms wasn't anything normal. It looked like a sheep but it was too small and it stood on two feet, while the other _feet_ were more akin to hand-like paws.

"It's a Wooly," said Hisoka, cuddling the little creature eliciting a happy 'bah' from it, "It's still a little baby, so I can carry it around. Naruto-kun said I can play with it while you and Mikoto-chan are healing. It's so cute and cuddly too," she added happily making sure the little wooly was comfortable in her arms.

"Where did it come from? There's nothing like that in the elemental nations," said Kushina curiously. She would agree with Hisoka that it was cute but it was a strange creature she had never seen or even heard of before.

"I created it," stated Naruto calmly before he dragged two chairs over to her bed, one for him and the other for Hisoka. They sat down and he continued, "I made it and various other creatures on the island, as well as plant life and even my servants, like Kiri: your lovable doctor."

"You…created them?" questioned Kushina in disbelief, she knew of summons but she doubted he could actually _create_ creatures or people.

"Is that my name?" questioned the other redhead looking up from her book and smiling in gratitude, "Thank you, Master."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yes it is, and you're welcome, Kiri."

"Why does she call you 'Master'?" asked Kushina curiously, and with a wary edge. The only people who would use that term would be servants or slaves, and Kiri didn't seem like she was either one.

"I created her and the others of her kind. I will tell you what I said to Hisoka. I am a Shaper, the absolute Master of the life that I create. I created Kiri and the others, therefore I am their Master," answered Naruto with an edge to match Kushina's own before turning to Kiri.

"Kiri, hit her on the head with the book," he ordered calmly though slightly amused on the inside.

"How hard?" questioned Kiri, much to Kushina and Hisoka's surprise. They didn't think she'd actually do it since Kushina was a recovering patient.

"As hard as you wish," replied Naruto, watching Kushina as Kiri hit her on the forehead with the spine of the book. It wasn't very hard but it left a mark for a few seconds before it disappeared.

"Wait until I can move without hurting," Kushina growled out, the glare she aimed at him hinting at the unpleasant things she wanted to do to him at the moment.

Naruto just chuckled and replied, "As soon as you can do that, you'll be leaving my island and returning home."

Kushina, remembering that he said that earlier, asked with sxcitement as her face lit up, "Then you'll come with us to Konoha? I can show you around the village you were born in and a lot of places I'm sure you'll like."

"And serve under someone?" questioned Naruto coldly as he stood up from his chair, "I think not. If and when I am defeated in combat, I will reconsider."

"No, I didn't say you'd have to follow anyone's orders or anything, just come and…maybe live with me in Konoha…you know, like you should have before you disappeared," said Kushina explaining that he didn't have to become a Konoha ninja, she just wanted to be with him as a mother.

Naruto walked to the door of the room and replied, "You're quite naïve, Kushina-san. I can create life from nothing, anything from armies of monsters to even demons that will obey my every command without question. The fools in power that you serve would seek to use whatever means they have at their disposal to subjugate me. If I decline, I would imagine that since you're my mother, you would be harmed or killed. If I decline again, then they'll attempt to harm or kill me."

He looked over his shoulder at her and finished, "Just rest for now. If I have any available time, I will return to visit you."

He left the room without waiting for a reply.

"Well…" Hisoka began, "…he isn't like you or Minato. Are you sure you didn't have a night with Hiashi behind my back?" she asked with a smirk at the deflated redhead only to receive a glare in reply.

Hisoka giggled, "I'll take that as a 'no'. I don't think asking him to come to Konoha is going to work, Kushina. While in all appearances he is your son, and he knows that you gave birth to him, he can't see you as his mother. The woman that he knew as his mother died four years ago, and with as long as he's had to live on his own, he no longer needs a mother."

"But Konoha is his home, it's my home…it's his father's home, I-" Kushina was cut off before she could continue.

"Kushina-chan, do you really think he would feel at home in Konoha? Even though people are too afraid to speak out against him for fear of you, they still think he was a monster. Can you imagine what it would be like once he started walking among them? Besides, Kushina-chan, you can barely say that Konoha is your home. This island seems to be Naruto's home, you need to understand that. He wasn't raised in Konoha, and he apparently does not like human beings much, so asking him to come to Konoha won't do anything but annoy him," stated Hisoka calmly.

Hisoka grew up around stoic men like Naruto, though Naruto was a great deal kinder than most of the stoic men she knew…at least to her. She could read him pretty easily and it had helped that she spent more than a few hours with the blond earlier.

She continued to explain, "He does not trust anyone, Kushina-chan, and with good reason. Given the power he has, you know as well as I do that the Hokage, or any other Kage or Daimyo would demand that he teach others his abilities. Insects that he created wove the dress that I'm now wearing out of their own silk…in a matter of minutes. I'll admit that even I am curious about how he's able to create insects that are capable of clothing me like this, and creatures like this little guy, here," she added looking down at the wooly in her lap.

"And?" questioned Kushina wondering where this was going.

"I did ask if he could show me how he did it. He said that since I am loyal to a…'fool in power' by his words, he cannot show me. Apparently, these Shapers guard their secrets viciously: it's their first prime directive or something like that – in fact, he gave me a warning that if I attempted to steal his secrets from him, he would kill me without hesitation, despite how much it would pain him to do it," she replied with a hint of a smile gracing her lips, "I like his honesty, it's quite refreshing."

Kushina turned to Kiri, who was still engrossed in her book, and asked, "Kiri, are you a Shaper as well?"

Kiri closed her book and looked at them, "We who are shaped are forbidden to learn the way of the Shaper. In short, no," she answered calmly before opening her book and continuing to read silently while continuing her explanation, "We servants were made to do menial tasks for Naruto-sama. The very thought of being equals to our Master is…disturbing," she said before she opened her book and started reading again.

Kushina immediately became indignant. Before she could reply, Hisoka put a firm hand on her arm.

"Don't!" Hisoka warned quickly and firmly to the injured redhead before she could open her mouth, "This is the way it is here, and I can understand the situation a little more than you."

"But he's using them as slaves!" declared Kushina vehemently, causing unbridled laughter from Kiri who found her words funny.

Kiri set her book on the nearby counter, "And he can't?" she asked curiously, "He created us. We do what he wills. We farm, cook, mine, and do dozens of other things as well. Our lives were created for servitude."

"And you're fine with that? You seem to know that you're being used, but you're doing nothing about it!" Kushina objected loudly, wondering what was going on in the other woman's head.

"I'm the oldest of my kind," replied Kiri with a knowing smile, "Others have questioned our place as serviles and Naruto-sama killed each and every one of them as well as those around them. I have never once questioned my place and I serve my master dutifully, thus I am allowed to live and continue serving him."

"I don't see a point in this discussion to be honest. We're murderers for hire after all," stated Hisoka, setting the wooly on the floor to let it wander around, "Then again, you've always stood on a working moral compass."

"Shove it, miss high and mighty. Though I can see why you're not bothered by this since your clan enslaves their own!" snapped Kushina, glaring at Hisoka angrily.

Hisoka shrugged as she stood up, "I'm a woman. I have no say in my clan. I simply must open my legs and give birth. I am seen but not heard," she said calmly, if she was at all bothered by Kushina's words, she didn't show it, "I might be married to the head of the clan, Kushina, but I am effectively powerless. I don't see how you'd truly understand how the Hyuuga Clan works since you aren't a part of it. As far as Naruto's so-called _enslavement_ of his serviles, compared to what Hyuuga women and Hyuuga Branch families have to suffer, if we were treated half as well as Naruto treats his serviles, by our own kin, I might add, we would think we were living in some fantastic paradise," she added before getting up to leave the room, leaving Kushina with a stunned gape. Before she left, however, she stopped and turned around to address Kushina one last time.

"A word of friendly advice, Kushina: try to keep your anger in check when dealing with Naruto-kun. You don't know him, you have no right to judge him, and you won't endear him to you with your current attitude."

Having said her piece, she left the room, Kiri and the small wooly following behind her.

Kushina closed her eyes in frustration, pondering Hisoka's words. It was true, she didn't know her son, but how could any decent person so what he's doing to these 'serviles' of his? It wasn't right! Unable to solve her current mental dilemma, she set it aside and closed her eyes in an attempt to get some more sleep, hoping that the pain her body was in would have subsided by the time she woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3. Ncpfan wrote most of the chapter, so enjoy.

Beta/co-author/helper: ncpfan

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Naruto picked up the watering can near the spring that was under the tree and near the ladder leading up. He filled it and started watering the plants that were growing in the plots of land that were under the tree that he used to sow, grow and once in a while cultivate new breeds of plants.

It was how he spent most of his mornings: caring for the plants and recording any changes they had. He only used half of the plots, so he let Reina, one of his servants who was very interested in plant life, use the other half for whatever she wanted. Those plots that Naruto had given to her was where she could almost always be found.

She wasn't like his other servants. She didn't understand the other servants, demons or animals. She didn't get along very well with them either, and so he just let her be with the plants.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," a familiar female voice greeted him, bringing a smile to his face.

He turned to behold Hisoka Hyuuga, in a dress of the exact same style as the one that his insects had fashioned for her yesterday, with the same almost-magical sheen, but this one was cherry red in color. Accentuating her beautiful face was the contented smile of a woman who had slept well – possibly better than she had in a long time – and found the world to be just a little bit brighter as a result.

"Ah, Hisoka-chan. Good morning," he responded in kind before adding playfully, "I see that you're acquiring a taste for the style of attire that my insects are preparing for you."

"Why, yes. Indeed I am," she responded with a warm and soft, yet cheer-filled laugh, "I find that I like how the sun and the warm breeze feel on my exposed skin like this."

Naruto gave her a toothy smile, "That's very good to hear."

"So, what exactly is all this?" she asked in a very curious tone as she spread her arms to indicate all of the flora that the two of them were walking through.

"A farm," answered Naruto calmly before returning to what he was doing, "The tree is pretty much hollow and the grounds directly beneath it are quite fertile. I use half of the space for growing plants and cultivating new ones. The other half I gave to Reina, the girl standing behind you wondering when you'll move out of her way," he added bemusingly, looking over at Hisoka to see her move to the side as a brown haired girl wearing a light blue hairband, light blue shirt with detached sleeves and a white knee-length skirt nodded to her before continuing on her way without a word.

"Don't take it personally. She doesn't get along very well with anything that's not a plant – me included. You look as though you slept well…" he offered as he walked back over to the spring and set the watering can on the ground next to it.

"I did, thank you. It was relaxing and…different," answered Hisoka as she walked over to get a closer look at the plants he had been watering.

"I see. I'm happy to hear that. So, do you need anything? I've got nothing important to do until the afternoon, and I usually spend my mornings down here."

Hisoka turned to regard him, nodded and replied, "Sort of. You see, I was hoping we could talk for a little bit, if you don't mind."

"That's fine. Feel free to pick a topic," Naruto responded with a shrug as he started examining each plant one at a time for different changes from the usual, "I can't really stand here and give you my full attention at the moment, but rest assured, I am listening."

Hisoka smiled. She understood that he had his work to do so she wasn't bothered by it. Unlike her husband, he didn't simply ignore her in the poor attempt to look busy.

"Well I'd like to know about you. I don't really know much beyond your name, that you're a Shaper and a few other small things," she said, following him around as he checked on the plants. She found it intriguing that a man would be interested in plants. Then again, Naruto _was_ very different from any other man she'd ever met…or any other person, for that matter.

Naruto tilted his head for a moment as he wrote down a change in one of the plants, "There isn't really much to tell, or rather I don't know how to answer the question. That question may be better answered by asking my servants around the house. They can probably give you better insight into things you want to know about me than I can."

"Maybe, but since you don't know how to answer the question, how about I help you to answer it?" Hisoka suggested, finding it rather amusing that he didn't know how to answer a question about himself, though she wasn't too surprised as she reflected on the fact that he'd probably never had anything around him that he didn't create.

Naruto looked at her, shrugged, then continued on his work, "Very well. Thank you, I think," he said, wondering how this was going to work out. The idea of describing himself to another person felt odd to him; he wasn't really sure why.

"Alright. So Naruto-kun, what are your likes? Dislikes? What do you do for fun?" asked Hisoka with the usual question that almost all genin in Konoha are asked by the jounin senseis for the team to better know each other.

"My likes are my servants, experiments, this island, Kaa-sama, you, and most demons," answered Naruto in a straightforward yet calm manner, too busy to notice the bashful smile and slight blush on Hisoka's face, "I don't have an opinion on Kushina-san or Mikoto-san yet. My dislikes are rebellious servants, experiments gone wrong, pests, and people who enjoy fighting. As for what I do for fun, well…I'm doing one of them right now," he added simply as he finished with the first row of plants, "I enjoy working and keeping myself busy."

"That's an odd way to have fun, but I suppose everyone has their own way, but are you sure you don't do anything to relax when you're done working or something?" asked Hisoka, wondering if all the blond did was work constantly. She found it a little sad if she was honest with herself.

"I like to watch my servants live their lives. Kaa-sama told me that humans would generally find such a thing creepy, but I do like watching the lives I created doing what they were created to do: live. They've built a village nearby, and they even have their own society and culture, their own family groups. They're even self-governing, and they allow me to partake in that life with them whenever I'm there," answered Naruto. After all, what creator didn't like watching over his creations? What parent didn't like watching over their children?

"Actually, I don't think that's creepy at all. I think it's sweet. It shows you care about them," said Hisoka, stopping herself from giggling at the thought of seeing the blond do such a thing, "I've been meaning to ask you about your servants as well. They look human, but their ears are slightly pointed. Why is that?"

"Oh, that? It's to tell them apart from humans," replied Naruto shrugging, he needed _some_ way to tell if anyone infiltrated his servants or not, "They also have other things to distinguish them, but I'm not prepared to reveal that information. By the way, how is Kushina doing? That is, if you visited her this morning."

"I didn't visit her this morning. We…had an argument," muttered Hisoka, not wanting to think about it at the moment. Unfortunately for her, Naruto had other thoughts in mind.

"About what, exactly?" he asked curiously. The last thing he wanted was a small war zone in his house.

"About how she thinks you treat your servants as slaves and such," answered Hisoka, annoyed at the memory of yesterday's argument, but she felt that he _did_ have the right to know about the problem since it involved him.

"Please elaborate," Naruto requested as he stopped what he was doing to give his full attention to her.

"When Kushina heard you calling your servants…well, 'servants'…she jumped to the conclusion that you were really calling them your slaves and that you must treat them horribly like some tyrannical dictator. I tried to explain to her that wasn't the case at all, but she's stubborn…or 'special', as you put it yesterday…" they both shared a brief chuckle at this before Hisoka continued, "…and she then brought the issues surrounding my own clan into the argument, as my clan quite literally enslaves its branch members. I left after that and I haven't been to visit her since."

It was clear to Naruto that Hisoka was quite upset with her friend as she remembered the argument from last night. It was affecting her mood even now just recalling it so she could recount to Naruto what had been said. Wanting to see her lovely smile once more, he leaned in and kissed her cheek while cupping the other one softly with his hand, satisfied at the sound of her breath catching in her throat. He noticed her blink in surprise as he pulled away, caressing his fingers against the other cheek as he drew his hand back.

She brought her fingers to the cheek that he had just kissed, and brushed the spot with her fingertips. With a furious blush, she stammered out almost breathlessly, "W-what was that for?"

"A couple of reasons. First, it was a way to say 'thank you': as little as I know about humans, I do know that not many people would defend someone they barely know," replied Naruto with a warm smile.

"And the second?"

"I just wanted to…" he responded with a smirk, "…after all, do I really need a reason to want to kiss an angel such as yourself?"

She smiled bashfully once again, blushing even more furiously and biting her lower lip like a girl who'd just been kissed by her first crush – yet another quality about this radiant woman that Naruto found endearing.

His smile widened as she brushed a finger against her cheek before turning back to finish his work, "And don't worry about Kushina. I'll talk to her about it and…" he took a brief look around and looked at his notebook before turning back to her, "…actually, I'm done here. Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked, looking at her and closing the workbook in his hand.

"Not yet."

Naruto nodded and said, "Excellent! Neither have I. Would you like me to make breakfast for you?"

"I would love that. Thank you," replied Hisoka, pleasantly surprised at the offer. Naruto offered his arm to the lavender-eyed beauty, which she gladly took in both of her own. Naruto led her out from under the tree and up the front stairway to return to his house, Hisoka's eyes gazing at Naruto with longing and adoration the whole way, never wavering from his handsome features.

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Kushina was sitting in her bed with an annoyed frown, hoping that Kiri might give her the okay to get up and walk around, soon. Staying confined to the bed was so frustrating! She had energy, and she needed to burn it off! She wanted to move, walk or run around – she wanted to do something! Kiri was busy with Mikoto's treatments at the moment, and she didn't want to disturb her from healing her friend, so she couldn't ask for something like a book to read at the moment. All she could do was wait.

Seconds turned into minutes, so Kushina decided to occupy her time by looking around the room and drinking in as many details as possible just to keep time from moving too slowly. She began to notice things that she hadn't earlier, such as a menthol-eucalyptus smell that seemed to be emanating from Mikoto's direction – it was probably from the gel that was covering her burned but quickly-healing body. Something else she noticed was that even Mikoto's hair follicles were growing back in, and the hair was growing rather quickly at that – the strands, while burned completely away just yesterday, had to be at least six inches long at the moment. Her mind began to explore the possibilities of just what Kiri or another doctor like her would be able to accomplish if they staffed shinobi hospitals.

"Good morning, Kiri," she heard Naruto's voice say as she was pulled from her thoughts. She turned to see Naruto walking into the room with Hisoka…on his arm? And to top it off, she was just gazing adoringly at him with a near-ecstatic grin!

"Good morning, Master," Kiri responded in kind without taking her eyes or her attention away from her current patient.

"Is Kushina-san able to get out of bed yet?"

Kushina's hopes began to rise at this question as her eyes perked and she leaned forward.

"She can…" Kiri began for Kushina to cheer loudly and throw a fist into the air, while Kiri continued, "…IF…you sit her in the wheelchair in the corner. I want to give her at least one more day before approving her for full mobility."

Kushina's cheers quickly turned into a groan of disappointment at Kiri's orders, but knowing that her doctor wouldn't budge, she decided that it would take less energy to just accept it and live with it for now – it was only one more day, after all. Once again, she was brought back to where she was at the feel of Naruto's surprisingly strong arms lifting her up in a bridal carry and taking her over to where Hisoka was standing behind the wheelchair that Kiri had referred to.

He gently placed her in the wheelchair and told her, "I'm sure you're hungry. I've just finished making breakfast, and I made enough for three."

Kushina's stomach betrayed her by growling loudly. She simply looked at him sheepishly with a slight blush, "Err…yeah."

Naruto led them out of the infirmary as Hisoka wheeled Kushina, dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, wherever it was that Naruto was leading them. A few moments later found a plethora of mouth-watering scents wafting into Kushina's nose. Entering into a dining room, she saw a dining table spread with a large assortment of breakfast goodies.

"This is enough for three?" Kushina asked dubiously, "It looks like enough for fifty."

"Well, I had to make sure that Kiri and the others who are here have enough to eat, too, don't I?" he asked somewhat playfully.

"You cook for your slaves?" she asked in surprise without thinking about her terminology.

Naruto's face lost all playfulness and regarded her with a grim frown, "We'll discuss that after we eat."

Naruto sat at his place on the table without another word and began to make himself a plate. Hisoka sighed in annoyance, wheeling Kushina to a place at the table and walking off to the place next to Naruto. Kushina saw her shaking her head in disbelief as she glanced back at her.

'_Great, now what did I say?_' she thought in frustrated irritation.

Kushina was on the other side of the table from Naruto and Hisoka, eating her breakfast and keeping to herself in order to not make things worse between her and Naruto. Naruto didn't want to talk, so Hisoka didn't try to engage him. The only thing she did to break the steady pace at which all of them were eating was to put her hand over Naruto's own and squeeze gently while giving him an understanding affectionate smile.

Once they were done eating and Naruto had cleared the table, he requested, "Hisoka-chan, please bring Kushina-san and follow me, if you would?"

Hisoka got behind Kushina's wheelchair once more and started to wheel her in the direction that Naruto was leading them. He led them into a room that was lined from floor to ceiling and wall to wall with shelves, cupboards and cabinets, only being broken by what looked like a viewing station on the far wall, consisting of a comfortable chair and a broad desk with a worklight attached to it.

Naruto opened one of the cabinets on the wall to the right and pulled out what looked like files. He handed them to Kushina.

"Start reading," he ordered coldly, causing Kushina to flinch and Hisoka to regard him sadly.

Kushina took a moment to collect herself and opened one of the files. Each one seemed to have a lot of personal information about each of his serviles: when they were created, what they were created to do, what kinds of things they enjoyed away from work, whether or not they had built families of their own, where they lived, etc. Some of them had deceased dates in their files, while some didn't.

"So what am I looking at, here?" Kushina asked carefully.

"What you are looking at is a lot of personal information about certain serviles…" Naruto began before being interrupted by an angry Kushina.

"Why don't you just call them what they really are to you?! They're slaves, not 'serviles' or whatever you call them! You treat them like property!" she shouted at him.

"Says the woman who heartlessly butchered so many of them with no provocation, no reason, no mercy and no remorse," Naruto answered back with cold fury before continuing his explanation, "What makes you believe I use them as slaves, anyway? Yes, I created them to perform certain tasks, but what you don't seem to see is that I also created them in such a way that they would thoroughly enjoy the tasks I created them for. Those files should tell you that I take a very personal and very intimate interest in their lives and in who they are as 'people', for lack of a better word."

Kushina had the decency to look ashamed of herself when Naruto reminded her of what she'd done. Naruto, however, had more to say.

"You come here and invade my home, and when you actually see my face, you act as though you care for me like a mother would her son…"

Kushina interrupted once again, this time much more vehemently as she started shedding tears, "I do care! Because you are my son! I never stopped caring, even when everyone else told me to give up on you!"

"And yet, you regarded me as an enemy just yesterday, and you attacked me – again, without provocation – with the intent to kill me! Who I was didn't even matter to you, then! I gave you no reason to believe I was a threat, as I made no threatening moves towards any of you!"

"But I…" Kushina tried to retort, but found the words escaping her before just blurting out, "…Naruto-kun, that's not fair! I didn't know that you were my son, yesterday!"

"So? Did it even occur to you to try to find out just who I was? Did it occur to you to actually try talking to me in a civilized manner instead of trying to bully and threaten me into giving you information? What wrong did I do you that you felt it gave you the right to try to murder me?"

Kushina had no answer. She was having so much trouble trying to reconcile so many things: the fact that she was finally reunited with her son, the fact that he was a slave owner which to her meant that he had to treat them badly, and the things he had told and shown her just now.

Naruto, despite this, still had more to say, "I remember every single servile that I've ever created. When they're created, I rejoice with them at a new life coming into being. When they marry and have children, I celebrate the new birth with them. When they die, I mourn each loss. I remember each and every one of them, personally and intimately. I know exactly who they are, or who they were…" he looked Kushina dead in the eye, "…You don't have the right to assume anything about me or them, and you certainly have no right to judge me or my feelings for them. I love them, Kushina-san."

Kushina's tears were now freely flowing as she asked quietly, "How can you love a slave?"

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed in frustration before opening them once more.

"Hisoka-chan, follow me again, please," he requested of her, the effort of keeping his temper and tone in check quite evident, "I have to make one more stop. Kushina-san, I hope this last stop really drives my point home for you."

Naruto led them to another room that was fashioned as a bedroom. Inside the room, they saw a gray-skinned, pointy-eared, crimson-haired toddler that couldn't have been more than a year old. The yellow and pink dress the child was wearing told Hisoka and Kushina that the toddler was a girl.

Upon seeing Naruto, she smiled wide and extended her arms out towards him, "Unca Nah-to!"

"Hey, Yuki-chan!" he exclaimed as he scooped up the little girl into his arms and spun her around, much to her delight if her grin and giggles were any indicator. Kushina looked on at the scene in confusion, while Hisoka just smiled, enraptured at the heart-warming scene.

"Sleep good?" Naruto asked the girl with a big smile of his own as he held her to himself with his hand on her seat.

"Mmm!" Yuki nodded before asking, "Kaa-chan? Tou-chan?"

Naruto's smile fell as she asked for her parents, "Princess…I'm not sure how to tell you this, but…"

"Kaa-chan? Tou-chan?" she asked, this time in a fearful manner. Kushina once again found herself becoming angry, believing that Naruto had the audacity to deprive this little girl of her parents by sending them off to work far away or something to that effect, while Hisoka clamped down on her shoulder quite hard and whispered forcefully, "Not. One. Word."

"I'm afraid that your kaa-chan and tou-chan have gone away…" Naruto began, which caused the little girl to start crying.

"Kaa-chan? Tou-chan? Lef' me?" she asked in terrified sadness.

"I'm sorry, honey…" Naruto brought the girl into a gentle hug, and she responded by clutching his shirt and crying into his chest as he spoke to her soothingly, "…it's not because they wanted to, though. They loved you very, very much. But they had to go, and they can't come back. I'm so sorry."

Naruto let the little girl wail her heart out into his shirt as he began to shed tears of his own. Kushina grew angrier and angrier at Naruto, but Hisoka just clutched her shoulder that much harder. Unlike Kushina, Hisoka saw the tears that Naruto was shedding with the little girl, and was beginning to understand, with growing regret and horror, just what had happened to this poor child's parents.

Naruto continued to comfort the wailing child who couldn't stop asking for her precious kaa-chan and tou-chan. After several minutes of this, the saddened little girl had cried herself to sleep. Naruto laid her on the bed and tucked her in, leaving her with a kiss to her forehead. He quietly walked out of the room, Hisoka and Kushina following behind.

Once they were far enough away that they wouldn't disturb the sleeping girl, Kushina couldn't contain her anger any longer. She jumped out of the chair despite the pain to her ribs and charged Naruto once again.

Naruto deftly stepped to the side while she got up and shouted at him, "How dare you! You send her parents away to Kami knows where! And you tell that poor little girl that she can never see them again?! What kind of monster are you?!"

Naruto growled as she charged him and backhanded her very, very hard, sending her sailing fifteen feet in the opposite direction. Almost instantly, he was upon her, flipping her over onto her stomach, pinning her painfully with a knee to her back and pulling her head up with a very rough grip on her hair. Kushina looked to Hisoka for help, but she just stood here, glaring angrily at Kushina, as though it was her own fault that she was in the predicament she was in.

"You have a lot of nerve calling me a monster, you bitch!" he growled through clenched teeth into her ear, "I didn't send her parents anywhere – the reason she can never see them again…is because **you slaughtered them yesterday!**"

Kushina gasped in stunned horror at this. Naruto continued, "Her mother and father were two of the serviles that you cut down when you attacked me. She's an orphan now because you needlessly killed them! They weren't warriors or soldiers; they were a groundskeeper and a maid! And you heartlessly butchered them!"

Kushina's face morphed into a horrified anguished grimace. Tears began to flow freely down her face; she was too horrified to even utter a vocal sob. Naruto threw her head to the ground and got off of her, though she simply lay there, not even bothering to get up.

"You come in here, with all of your self-righteous notions that everything you do is right, and if anyone does things differently, then what they do is wrong! You've been nothing but hostile and aggressive since you got here, and the only emotion I've ever seen from you with any regularity is rage – it's as if you exult in it! It's like you're **drunk** with it! And now, because of your **disgusting self-indulgence**, you've orphaned that wonderful little girl who never did you any wrong at all!"

Naruto used his foot to forcefully flip Kushina onto her back so that he could look into her eyes, "She turned a year old last week. I threw her birthday party here in my house, and her parents, their friends and me – we all celebrated her very first birthday with her. I'd never seen her so happy. And now – she won't even remember that in light of what you did to her! So tell me: who's the monster, here?"

Kushina's eyes were filled with horror, guilt and anguish. Naruto's were filled with righteous indignation and fury. Naruto closed his eyes and wrenched his gaze away from Kushina.

"Hisoka-chan," he addressed their other companion, "Please…take this reprehensible piece of human filth out of my sight and back to the infirmary. I'll be in the file room that I showed you earlier if you'd care to join me there afterwards."

Naruto left without another word, leaving Kushina there to simply gape quietly while tears flowed down her face. Hisoka wheeled the empty wheelchair over to Kushina and helped her into it before wheeling her back to the infirmary.

After several minutes of silence, Kushina finally mumbled out, "My son thinks I'm a monster."

"You literally called him a monster when you attacked him just now," Hisoka told her plainly without so much as a hint of pity or sympathy.

"But I thought…"

"No, you didn't," Hisoka interrupted her, "You didn't **think** at all. You didn't ask. You didn't bother trying to find anything out. You simply assumed, and went with your assumption, just like you did yesterday. And as a result, you've left a little girl parentless and likely destroyed any chance at all of building any kind of relationship with your son."

Kushina just flinched and looked at her. Hisoka glared at her without budging, "And all because you're stubborn and stupid! Even now, all you can do is sit there and feel sorry for yourself!"

Kushina just closed her eyes and hung her head, sobs beginning to force their way up, "I…I didn't know…"

"You didn't care enough to look," Hisoka rebuked her once more, "If you had, you would have seen that Naruto was crying with her. But you were just too caught up in your anger…over an assumption that you had no proof of, I might add…to see that he was grieving with her. He's probably in that file room weeping over their loss right now. It doesn't matter that you didn't know. You didn't think! You didn't care enough to try to find anything out! That girl is an orphan, and you're to blame for that! Naruto does think you're a monster, and that's your fault!"

Kushina was now sobbing hysterically as the weight of her conscience bore down on her like an avalanche.

Hisoka just gritted her teeth, not knowing what to do or say. She settled for simply wheeling her back to the infirmary. Once she had gotten there, Kiri looked at the two of them, and seemed surprised that Kushina had received additional injuries.

"Please, don't ask," Hisoka told her, to which she simply nodded. The two of them assisted Kushina back into the bed and Kiri began to treat Kushina's new injuries – a split lip and a bloody nose, accompanied by bruising on the right side of her face.

Hisoka spoke one final time, "Kushina, I pray that you can still try to salvage something with Naruto. But you've got to stop being so angry. The only person you have a right to be angry with, now…is yourself. I'll see you later."

Having said her piece, Hisoka left, leaving Kushina to come to terms with what had happened and what she had done.

'_What is wrong with me? What have I been thinking and doing?_' Kushina asked herself, mortified with how she had become such an anger-consumed, callous person. She lied down and rolled to the face the wall opposite the door, letting her mind absorb and process what she'd learned in the hopes that she could somehow make some kind of peace…with Naruto, with herself…with life.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hisoka returned to the file room after leaving Kushina, finding Naruto there exactly as she suspected she would. He was sitting in the room's lone chair, crying silently so as not to disturb anyone else in the house, or to be disturbed in return. She entered the room and closed the door behind her quietly. Naruto didn't bother looking up; he knew who it was, and Hisoka knew he was aware of her presence as well.

She walked over to him until she was standing in front of him. Seeing him in such a state was heartbreaking to her. Tears for him began to well into her eyes as she brought one hand to his head, laid the other over his shoulder onto his back, and gently pulled him into her bosom. The moment his face made contact with her chest, his sobs became much louder. He wrapped his arms around Hisoka's waist as she brought him in closer still, her own sobs and sniffles accompanying his.

"I'm so sorry…" Hisoka said to him through her tears as she strummed her fingers through his hair, her voice just above a whisper, "…I'm truly, truly sorry."

"Why?" Naruto asked in a tear-filled voice of his own, "Why are you humans like this?! Why are you so violent and cruel?"

Hisoka sobbed more forcefully upon being asked such a question, "I really don't know. I don't understand human beings, myself, sometimes. I don't know why humans do despicable things like enslave their own families, or slaughter each other over trivial matters and misunderstandings! I don't know why people fear and hate what they don't know or understand! I just…" a sob forced its way up her throat, interrupting her for a few seconds before she finished, "…I just don't know!"

She held him even more firmly as her sobs became more vocal. Naruto's arms tightened around her waist and her back as he simply wept his grief into her. Hisoka would occasionally kiss his head as she grieved with him. Once his sobs died down, he let her go, prompting her to release her hold on him as well. As he pulled back and looked up at her, she gave him a sad, understanding smile as she knelt down and took one of his hands in her left while bringing her right hand to his face.

"Naruto…" she began with concern and apprehension, "…do you hate me…for being a human?"

Naruto frowned, regarding her for a few moments before answering, "Well, no. I don't hate you. I…don't really hate anybody, but…I've studied your history, and it's…well, it's always the same. You seem to find petty reasons to go to war with each other until you get tired of fighting, and then you live in peace for a while, until you get tired of that and then you end up going to war with each other again; it's just this vicious cycle that…humanity seems determined on killing anything that gets in the way of them getting what they want, even if it means they're destroying themselves!"

Hisoka gave him a patient smile, "And looking at the bigger picture, you might be right about that. Like I told you, I often don't understand what drives people to such cruelty."

Naruto looked downward as he shared his thoughts, "But I know that from what you're telling me that humans look at demons as solely evil creatures, and I'm sure that's because humans have rarely if ever had good encounters with demonkind. But I know firsthand that demons are individuals – some are good, some aren't. And despite my distaste for humanity in general, I know that it's the same way with humans."

Turning his gaze back to Hisoka, he continued, "I mean, let's take you, Hisoka-chan. So far, you've shown me none of the qualities that make humans distasteful creatures in my eyes – you've been caring, kind, patient, thoughtful. You haven't made any assumptions about me or those who live here, and despite them being alien to you, you've given them a fair chance. I guess…I see you, and it makes me feel like there's hope for your kind, after all. Does that make any sense?"

She smiled contently, "More than you know, Naru-kun. And I'm grateful and happy that you think so highly of me."

Her smile dropped slightly as she asked in a concerned tone, "Do you feel better, now?"

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Yes, I do. Hisoka-chan, thank you."

"You're welcome. Yuki's parents - I can see that you loved them and cared for them a great deal."

"I did. Kariyo and Nogata were good people – always smiling, always happy with the work they did…" Naruto chuckled as he continued, "…I still remember how excited they were when they found out they were pregnant with Yuki-chan. They were Shaped by me, so it was a novel experience for them to actually give birth to a child naturally. They were so excited, but…they were also so worried. They were worried that they wouldn't know what to do with a child, never having been children themselves. I can't tell you how hard it was for Kiri and me to assure them that they would make great parents…" Naruto trailed off as a few stray tears escaped his eyes, "…and they did."

Hisoka smiled with warmth at the thought of who Yuki parents must have been. Naruto continued nostalgically, "They were such great parents. They went to Kiri almost every single day to ask questions, and Kiri was only too happy to answer and show them how to care for an infant. It was…so amazing to watch as they all grew together – Yuki got bigger and learned to do more things, while Kariyo and Nogata came more into their own as people and as parents."

Naruto closed his eyes and hung his head, "But now…now all of that's gone."

Hisoka closed her eyes and leaned her head forward until her forehead was touching his.

Naruto asked rhetorically, "I mean, what am I supposed to tell Yuki-chan when she's older?"

"The truth," Hisoka answered softly, "You tell her that her parents were killed senselessly by a woman who was so lost to rage that she no longer knew right from wrong. You tell her how much they both loved her, and if her parents were truly the good and wonderful people that you describe, you tell her that they absolutely would not want her to give herself over to vengeance or rage. You tell her that they would want her to live as full and as bright a life as she possibly can, with all the happiness in the world…" Hisoka smiled as she finished, "…because that's what any loving parent wants for their child."

Naruto smiled and opened his eyes, "You must be the wisest of your kind, Hisoka-chan. Thank you – I needed to get all of that out, and I needed to hear what you said."

"Maybe you should leave the house for a while and spend a few hours alone – just out in nature…" Hisoka suggested, "…it would probably do you a world of good right now."

"I think I just might do that. But I need to be here for Yuki…"

She interrupted him by gently squeezing his hand, "Don't worry. I'm more than happy to care for her while you're out. Is that okay?"

Naruto thought about it for a few moments before nodding, "Yeah, I think so, but let's wait until she's awake so I can introduce you to her. I don't want her waking up and the first person she sees is a stranger."

"Okay," Hisoka replied as she stood back up and took Naruto's hand in her own once more. Naruto rose with her, walking out of the file room hand-in-hand with the lavender-eyed beauty and heading towards Yuki's room. Opening and closing the door quietly behind them, they pulled two chairs beside the girl's bed, both of them watching the steady rise and fall of her little chest as she slept.

Naruto just watched, a content smile crossing his face without him even noticing. Hisoka was smiling as well, though her smile was the unmistakable smile of motherly love. She gazed at Yuki as though she was the only person in the world at that moment as she could feel a surge of maternal affection rise from her depths at the thought of this precious child. She reached out her hand and used her fingertips to brush a stray lock of hair away from her face, her touch so soft that Yuki wasn't disturbed from her slumber in the slightest.

They both sat there, losing track of time as they watched Yuki sleep, Hisoka leaning into Naruto's shoulder with Naruto placing his arm around Hisoka's shoulders. Neither of them made another move – they simply sat for what could have been minutes or hours, their eyes never leaving the sleeping child in front of them. Eventually, Yuki stirred and opened her eyes, bringing both Naruto and Hisoka to full attention.

"Hey there, Sweetie," Naruto greeted her softly, "Did you sleep okay?"

Yuki blinked and focused her eyes on Naruto, smiling as she recognized him and nodding in response to his question.

"Feel better?" he continued, wanting to know that she was okay. Again, she answered with a nod.

"Yuki-chan," Naruto began before gesturing to the midnight-blue beauty sitting beside him, "This nice lady here is Hisoka. I need to go do some stuff for a while, so she's gonna take great care of you until I get back later on today, okay?"

Her face instantly morphed into an expression of fear as she began to start crying, "No, Unca Nah-to, Pease no go!"

Naruto scooped the girl into his lap and held her, "Shh…it's okay, honey. I promise you I'll come back, okay? I'm not going far, and I won't be gone long."

Yuki continued to cry, clutching Naruto tightly as her fear of another person she loved leaving began to intensify. Hisoka leaned over and brushed her fingers through her hair, garnering the girl's attention.

"Hi Yuki-chan, I'm Auntie Hisoka," Hisoka introduced herself.

"An-tee Soh-ka?" Yuki asked trepidly.

Hisoka smiled affectionately at the girl, "That's right. And don't you worry, your Uncle Naruto will come back. After all, he promised you, right?"

Yuki nodded.

"And has he ever broken any promises to you before?"

Yuki shook her head in the negative.

"And that means he's not going to this time, either, right?"

Yuki began to smile and nodded.

Hisoka nodded back and extended her arms to Yuki. Yuki maneuvered herself out of Naruto's lap and into Hisoka's. Once she was seated, Hisoka added in a conspiratorial manner, "And if he does break his promise and he doesn't come back…" she looked over at Naruto in a mischievous fashion before leaning next to Yuki's ear and whispering just loud enough for Naruto to hear, "…then I'll take you out and we'll find him together…" Hisoka's face scrunched together in an even more mischievous expression, "…and then we'll both beat him up for being a big fat meanie and not keeping his promise, okay?"

Yuki laughed and nodded. Naruto couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as Yuki let out that wonderful sound once more. Seeing Yuki's confidence that she was indeed in good hands, Naruto took his leave, kissing both Yuki and Hisoka on the cheek as he left, the former responding with a smile, the latter with a blush.

Once he was gone, Hisoka stood up and seated her charge on her hip.

"So…" Hisoka began excitedly in a childlike voice, causing Yuki's face to light up, "…whatcha wanna do first?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kushina's thoughts continued to race after she had been returned to the infirmary. Even when Kiri came to her bedside to treat her, she had nothing to say at all. Kiri's only reaction to this was to raise an eyebrow in surprise, as Kushina always seemed to have something to say, whether Kiri wanted to hear it or not. Preferring to mind her own business, Kiri simply did what she needed to do and left Kushina to return to tending Mikoto.

The redhead had used the time to reflect on the events of the past two days, but in her reflection, her thoughts drifted even further back. There were so many questions that raced through her mind: How did she go from being a happy woman with occasional flashes of temper that were mostly harmless to the…enraged berserker who cut down innocents just to quell her anger? Why was she so angry all the time in the first place? How many more times had she seen red and sliced people to ribbons in a fit of uncontrolled rage?

That last question scared her. There were times when she'd killed those who had said that her son was a monster and that they would have killed him if someone else hadn't. She didn't feel the slightest hint of remorse at killing those people, but…were there innocents who might have gotten caught in the crossfire? She couldn't remember – all she remembered was seeing red. In fact, red was all she saw yesterday, but for some reason, she could remember what she had done in slicing down all of those people…

'_People, huh?_' she thought to herself, surprised at the irony of her own realization. Yesterday, they were demons and monsters, but today they were people. This realization brought with it a pang of guilt over her actions. She hadn't cut down monsters – she had effectively committed murder! And all because she was fueled by burning fury!

She thought back to why she was so angry by nature, now. When did it all start? She knew the answer to that: it all started the night Naruto was born. First, that bastard she was married to had pried her son from her arms so he could make a jinchuriki out of him, and then he had been taken from his crib because Sarutobi hadn't been watchful enough while her baby boy was in the hospital! She began to play the last sixteen years in her mind, hoping to find the answer to why she was so angry constantly. She was angry at first because her son had been taken from her. Her anger had been escalated by the ignorant villagers' view that her son was a monster and that they would have taken great pleasure in killing him!

She had to take a few breaths as remembering those things made her angry even now. But as she continued to think about it, she remembered a few key events. There were times when she was encouraged and persuaded to give Naruto up for dead, and she almost had, but when she remembered the night of his birth and the villagers' attitudes, her anger had peaked, and it was that anger that had served to renew her resolve and determination to find her son! It was her anger that had kept her going!

But it was that very same anger that caused her to lose control and attack Naruto, both yesterday and this morning. Granted, yesterday, she didn't know who he was, even though she had been intent on killing him, and she hadn't wanted to kill him when she attacked him this morning, but still, it was there, and it was that very same anger that had driven her to keep looking for her son that was now destroying any chance of building anything with him now that she'd found him!

She heard humming and looked over to the source of it, only to find Kiri happily working to heal Mikoto. For a slave, she sure seemed happy…

She caught herself in her assumption, '_And there I go again…assuming that they're slaves. She doesn't seem like a slave, or act like one, at least not from what I know about slavery. Hisoka's never as happy as Kiri is when she's at home, despite being in the Hyuuga Main Family, because she knows that she's essentially a slave, there. So…could it be true? Are these servants of his not slaves as I thought they were?_'

"No, we aren't slaves at all," Kiri answered her unspoken question, causing Kushina to look her way and remember that this woman could read her mind, "We are Shaped servants created for specific purposes. We're grateful to our Master for our existence, and we all take great pleasure in our work. I believe the expression that you humans use is, 'We're doing what we were born to do'. And he created us to enjoy our work. I, for one, find no greater joy than when I am in this infirmary, treating patients or doing medical research. It's the same for each of Master's…children, for lack of a more appropriate term. The maids all love to clean Master's home, the groundskeepers all love to care for Master's grounds, the rest all love to do whatever it is they do, be it farming, mining, crafting things…"

Kushina narrowed her eyes in thought as she considered Kiri's words, to which Kiri added, "We're not human like you – we don't have this innate desire for freedom as you understand it. For us, this **is** freedom: to do the work that we were Shaped to do."

"I…I see," Kushina responded quietly, "Thank you…for explaining that to me."

Kiri nodded before returning to her work, smiling and humming all the while.

Kushina then brought her thoughts back to her anger, and how she might be able to better control it. She was having such a difficult time with the issue, as her anger was justified at first, and even when she lost control yesterday and today, she had lost control over things that she was honestly convinced were just wrong! She believed her anger to be righteous indignation, and her motives had honestly been good! Granted, she probably went a little far in trying to kill Naruto, and if she had succeeded…

She gasped in shock and horror at that. What if she **had** succeeded in killing him yesterday? She was using her anger to find her son, and if she'd killed him in her rage, all of that anger would have been completely pointless! It wasn't that her anger was necessarily right or wrong; it was that her fury was so destructive and out-of-control that was the problem! She may not have meant any harm, but she had harmed, and even killed people that didn't deserve it! She killed that little girl Yuki's parents and orphaned Yuki in the process! How could she justify such an act?! Angry or not, she was the one that had done it, and she was fully and solely responsible for ending their lives and irrevocably damaging Yuki's!

Kushina closed her eyes and began to sniffle, hanging her head. A few moments later, sobs forced their way out of her throat. It didn't take long for all of the pain and heartache that she had been suppressing for the last sixteen years to force its way out as she laid down and curled into the fetal position, sobbing loudly. Several seconds later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see that it was Kiri who was garnering her attention. Despite her unreadable expression, she pulled Kushina into a gentle hug – a hug which Kushina returned, crying into her doctor's shoulder.

Once Kushina stopped crying, she slowly pulled out of Kiri's gentle embrace, upon which she chuckled and remarked with a still-broken voice, "And here I thought you had no bedside manner."

To her surprise, Kiri gave a slight smile, "Even offering comfort is part of the healing process, but it only heals when the patient first mourns."

Kushina looked downward for a few moments before speaking up again, "Naruto took me to see Yuki."

Kiri frowned upon hearing this, "I see."

"He was trying to drive the point home that you aren't slaves to him. When I saw that little girl crying because she lost her parents, I assumed that Naruto had sent them away to punish them or something. It turns out that…" Kushina's voice began to break once more, "…that I killed them in my rage yesterday."

Kiri placed a comforting hand on Kushina's back and rubbed it gently as she cried into her hands. After a few minutes of this, Kiri spoke up, "Yuki's mother was named Kariyo, and her father was named Nogata."

Kushina blinked and looked up at her in confusion, to which Kiri responded, "I assume he showed you his file room as well?"

Kushina nodded slowly.

Kiri continued, "Maybe you should look at their files. I've come to understand that sometimes learning who the deceased were as people can help us to overcome the loss we feel, or it can at least give it meaning."

Kushina frowned in thought before nodding slowly, "When will I be cleared to leave so I can do that?"

"Can you move your arms without pain?"

Kushina tested her arms a few times and moved them to see if there was any pain or discomfort in the movements. She felt none.

Turning back to her doctor, she answered, "It seems that way."

"Then I can allow you to leave the bed so long as you stay in the wheelchair so that you don't inadvertently aggravate your injuries further. I will take you to the file room and retrieve you in two hours time."

Kushina smiled gratefully and nodded. Kiri assisted Kushina out of the bed and into the wheelchair before wheeling her out of the infirmary and toward the direction of the file room. Once she had arrived at the file room, Kiri wheeled her inside the room and left her to her own devices.

Kushina proceeded to try to figure out Naruto's filing system so that she could find Kariyo's and Nogata's files. It wasn't that hard; apparently, Naruto had inherited one thing from her, and that was his overall thought process. Kushina found the way Naruto organized his things to feel very natural to her, and she could intuitively navigate through them to find what she wanted. Pulling Kariyo's file out first, she opened it and began to scan its contents.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Naruto had to admit that he felt so much better after just getting away to a place with peace and quiet. He spent roughly three hours at a secluded spring in the woods, simply listening to nature's symphony while he laid back and just let himself be carried off. The sounds of the wild soothed his aching heart and hurting spirit, allowing him to calmly let his mind work though everything that had happened that morning.

There was a large part of him that ached because of Kushina. Granted, Kikuri-Hime was "Kaa-chan" to him – he only called her "Kaa-sama" now out of reverent respect for her sacrifice in saving his life – but he had always wanted to find his birth mother. Now that she had found him, it bothered him to see that she was such a malicious woman. The way things were going right now, the sooner she got off his island and never saw him again, the better.

He sighed sadly. It just didn't seem fair – how could one person be so arrogant and so overly self-important? She was the one who invaded his home, who tried to kill him before she even knew who she was, and then had the nerve to call him a monster and assume that he treated his children as slaves! Did it even matter to her that she could have killed her own son, who she was allegedly working so hard to find, because she enjoyed indulging her malicious nature? What kind of deranged person would do that? Even among humans, that would be considered cruel and sadistic!

But at least he was able to think calmly about everything now. He could get a clearer picture of the whole situation later; it was time he got back to Hisoka and Yuki. He pulled himself up and made his way home.

Once he reached the fields that were his front yard, he passed the servants working there, greeting them cheerfully as they greeted him in turn, before making his way up the stairs and through the front door. He immediately went for Yuki's room, while Hisoka was laying the girl down for a nap. He waited behind the doorway out of sight so as not to excite Yuki, who he could tell needed rest. He began to listen in on the tail end of their conversation.

"Come on, now, my little snowflake, it's time for you to take a nap," Hisoka said in a patient, motherly manner.

"But I not tayuhd…" Yuki mumbled out, her exhaustion evident.

"I know you're not, honey…" Hisoka replied in an understanding manner knowing to avoid an argument, "…but you do need your rest."

Naruto could hear shuffling and the rustling of fabrics and bedsheets, indicating that Hisoka was putting the girl to bed.

"An-tee Soh-ka?" Yuki asked sleepily after a few moments' silence.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I wanna meet my big sistuhs."

"Your big sisters? Who are they?"

"You tol' me 'bout 'em. Nah-ta an' Nah-bi."

"Oh, you mean my daughters, Hinata and Hanabi?" Naruto could hear the happiness in her voice.

"Mmm…" Yuki grunted out in tired affirmation, "…when can dey come here?"

There was a pause before Hisoka answered, "Well, I'll have to ask your Uncle Naruto about that…but don't you worry, precious…" her tone became very tender, "…I'll talk to him next time I see him, okay?"

"'K," Yuki mumbled out. A few seconds later, Naruto could tell that her breathing had evened out; she was fast asleep.

Naruto took that moment to quietly enter the room. A smile crossed his face as he watched Hisoka kiss Yuki's forehead while brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, honey," Hisoka whispered before quietly moving back to where Naruto was.

Naruto placed his arm around Hisoka's shoulders, while Hisoka reciprocated with an arm around his waist. She also leaned into his shoulder. For several minutes they both just stood there, watching the steady rising and falling of Yuki's chest as she slept with a peaceful smile on her face.

"She's such a wonderful little girl, Naru-kun," Hisoka spoke up quietly.

"Yes, she is," he responded.

After a few moments of additional silence, Naruto spoke up this time, "She's going to need a parent."

Naruto could feel Hisoka nod before adding a few seconds later in a tender manner, "What she needs the most is a mother."

Naruto glanced down at Hisoka, and saw her gazing at the little girl with the kind of longing only a mother could possess, as it was often the same expression that Kikuri-Hime would look at him with.

After a few more minutes passed, Hisoka's expression changed from one of longing to one of flinty, determined resolve. She turned to Naruto and asked, "How long will it be before you can destroy the Hyuuga Clan and get my daughters out of Konoha?"

Naruto recoiled slightly in mild surprise, "Are you sure about this? If we go through with this, there'll be no going back."

"I'm sure," Hisoka answered without hesitating, "These last two days with you have been far and away the happiest days I've ever known. I was already leaning towards accepting your offer even before this, but I…" tears began to well into her eyes as she smiled and looked back at Yuki's sleeping form, "…I see that beautiful little soul, and I…I can't help but love her. I want her to be my daughter, and I want to be her Kaa-chan."

Naruto pulled Hisoka even closer into him, a wistful smile of his own crossing his face. Hisoka tightened her own grip around waist.

"It makes me very happy to hear you say that, Hisoka-hime. I love her the same way, and I have every intention of being her tou-chan from now on, too."

"We can all be a family…together…" Hisoka breathed out just as wistfully as Naruto, "…little Yuki-chan…" she turned to Naruto, who turned his gaze to her before she finished, "…our daughter."

Naruto's eyes went wide at this. Granted, it was a natural progression, and in his mind he knew that. But to actually be presented with the possibility and to see how happy the idea seemed to make the beauty beside him filled him with an affection and an excitement that he had never known before! A joyful, grateful smile crossed his face, widening into a grin.

Hisoka gave him a dazzling smile in return as she began to air additional suggestions wistfully, "We could even give her…additional brothers and sisters. I'm still very much of childbearing age, and I would love to have your children. You've shown me that you would be…" she brought her hand up to his face and brushed his cheek with her fingertips, "…a loving, generous husband, and I can see that you'll be a wonderful father from how you are with Yuki."

Hisoka slowly moved closer into Naruto's personal space, bringing her hand down and laying her head across his chest, laying both hands on it as well. Naruto brought his own hands up and gently wrapped them around her back, caressing it as he held her tenderly.

Hisoka spoke up once more, "I told you why I married Hiashi – it was to protect my own family. Shortly after Hinata was born, my parents died, my brother and sister shortly after that. I was told that it happened while they were on a mission, but I haven't been privy to the details. If it wasn't for my daughters, I would have left him a long time ago, consequences be damned."

She looked up at him and smiled lovingly, "My daughters deserve a father like you, Naru-kun – a man who'll love them and not treat them like objects. I want a husband who'll love me, and I know that you will."

She pulled back and with eager anticipation, she asked hopefully, "So when can we do it? When can we get them out of there?"

Naruto smiled back, pulled the midnight-blue haired beauty into his arms and kissed her – this time with intense passion and love. Hisoka made no attempt to stop him; she only melted into the kiss and returned it with equal passion and vigor. Naruto felt her smile through the kiss, which was followed shortly after by tears that flowed across their connected lips, sometimes entering their mouths as they tasted each other.

Both of them pulled back, Naruto grinning ecstatically while Hisoka was indeed shedding tears of joy. Naruto answered her question, "We can start planning tomorrow. For now, though, I do have some work I need to do."

He turned to leave, but was stopped when he felt Hisoka gently grab his hand. He turned back to her, and she then proceeded to kiss him once more, this time holding the back of his head with both hands and pulling him in as close as she could.

Once she pulled away, she smiled and told him, "It's so easy for me to forget that you're my oldest daughter's age, because you…have the maturity of a man who's as old as I am. I can't believe I'm saying this when I haven't even known you for two full days but…" She smiled even wider and looked him dead in the eye as she admitted to him, "…I love you…Naruto-koi. I can't wait until we start our new life together here."

"I love you, too, my Hisoka-hime," he responded with warmth and excitement, "And I'm just as excited about it as you are. Listen, while you're here, you now have free reign in the house. Like I said, I have some work to do, but I'll be back before too much longer."

"Okay. I…" a wistful, loving smile crept across her face as she turned her gaze to the sleeping form of Yuki, "…I think I'll stay here with our daughter for a little while."

Naruto grinned, "That just…feels right, doesn't it? To think of her that way?"

Hisoka nodded, not turning her gaze from Yuki. Naruto took his leave and quietly closed the door as he left. Hisoka returned to the chair that was by the bed and sat back down in it. She then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Yuki's cheek, causing her to stir ever so slightly before she returned to sleep.

"Tou-chan and I love you, Musume-chan. We love you with all our hearts," she said to the sleeping child just above a whisper. Yuki gave an ever-so-slight smile as her unconscious mind heard the words in her sleep.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kushina had wasted no time since she'd gotten into the file room. She read through both Nogata's and Kariyo's files multiple times, getting a feel for how Naruto looked at them, as well as what kind of people they were. As Yuki's mother, Kushina found herself more drawn to Kariyo's file, and she was reading the entries in it for the third time.

The files were thick – reading through them was no small feat, and Kushina had lost track of time as she worked through them. There were the basic statistics, such as the day they were born, which is to say the day they were Shaped, as well as such details as eye color, hair color, height, a brief medical history by Kiri, and other distinguishing characteristics about them, such as their likes and dislikes, their occupations as maid and groundskeeper and even trivial things like their hobbies.

Most of the pages in the files, though, much to Kushina's surprise, resembled pages from a journal that were ripped out of their original binding and sewn into the folder. These entries were made by Naruto, and they were carefully and firmly attached into the file – she guessed so that he wouldn't lose them or so they wouldn't fall out. She was starting to realize more and more that Naruto didn't keep these people as slaves, but he in fact treasured each and every one of them!

So many of the journal entries just talked about bland day-to-day things, such as what they had for breakfast or for lunch one day, and what they talked about when Naruto had lunch with them. There were a few that stood out to her, though. These were the ones that she would read repeatedly. The first one chronicled when Kariyo was first Shaped…

* * *

_I Shaped a new maid today. I named her Kariyo – not really sure why, but it just seemed to roll off my tongue. She seems to like her name, as she kept saying it to herself over and over again with a look on her face like she was really concentrating hard on how it sounded or something. I always love to watch the serviles I Shape during the first few weeks of their lives. They're so curious – they look around, and they love to learn. They just soak everything in like a sponge! It's so amazing to watch them grow and become independent, and it happens so quickly._

_Kariyo spent the first few minutes of her new existence just looking around the house. She saw things that needed to get done, and she just knew what to do! She started working, and over the two or three hours where she cleaned, she got more and more enthusiastic about her work! She was smiling toward the tail end of it all, and I couldn't help but laugh when she pouted at having no more work to do!_

_It was lunch time when she finished, so I made us some lunch. She watched and learned as I cooked some basic rice, beef and vegetable stir fry. When it came time to eat, she looked so curiously at her chopsticks, but she took to it quickly when I showed her how to use them._

* * *

Kushina turned to another entry that struck her, in more ways than one, as she not only learned more about Kariyo, but a little about the relationship that Naruto had with the Kyuubi no Yoko…

* * *

_It was so interesting to watch Kariyo try to deal with Nogata. I think she's falling in love with him, but she really doesn't have any idea what it is she's feeling or what to do with it. It's so amazing to see this – Kaa-sama's creations never seemed this complex. They never had feelings; it was like they were organic machines or something. My creations, however – they seem to have souls of their own! Kurama suspects that it has something to do with his being sealed inside me, maybe giving my mana an extra 'dimension' for lack of a better word. He says that he feels a slight drain on his youki when I shape – that may be what adds this personal quality to my serviles._

_But I digress – it's fun to watch Kariyo interact with Nogata, and he's just as clumsy with all of this as she is. It makes me smile to see them learn and grow together._

* * *

Kushina turned to the final entry that struck a chord with her – this one struck her the most…

* * *

_What an experience it was to see baby Yuki being born! Nogata was as stoic as usual, but Kariyo – my goodness, she was just radiant! She had a smile that was so wide it threatened to split her face in half. The moment the doctor delivered her (I still need to give her a name – I just haven't found one that suits her yet), I fell in love! The only thing I could think was that this was how it felt to be a father. It was like watching my own child being born._

_There was another expression on Kariyo's face: it's the same look that Kaa-sama used to regard me with from time to time. I knew that look well – it was the longing, affectionate gaze of true motherly love! The contented smile, the tears of joy that rolled down her face as she held her daughter in her arms and nursed her, the stars in her eyes…it brought me to tears to see it. Kariyo would give life and limb to protect her daughter. She would give her life if it came down to it. And I feel very humbled that they want me to be a part of her family as well!_

* * *

Kushina had to come to grips with a lot of things as she had read these entries and studied their files. As she studied them and realized that these two were among those she had killed, she immediately grew angry…with herself. It occurred to her that this wasn't an appropriate response. The anger was there, but it wasn't laced with regret or guilt – it was more like a righteous anger that didn't have any rights driving it! She had to catch herself many times, and the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her – the more it scared her. Mostly, though, the more she thought about her anger, the more it hurt her.

Even now, not wanting to be angry anymore, she still found herself having to fight hard to keep it from bursting forth and overwhelming her! She had to clench her eyes shut and shake her head to try to distract herself from it. She tried breathing in and out, as well as clenching and unclenching her fists; she tried going to a happy place within her own mind, but none of this seemed to help.

"Kushina-san?" she heard a familiar voice asked, causing her to jump and turn to see Naruto regarding her with surprise and curiosity.

"N-Naruto…" she stuttered out, not expecting to see him again, and certainly not this soon.

He calmly asked her in a wary, suspicious tone, "What are you doing in here?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A/N: Cliffhanger... yeah, I know how you're probably feeling right now. =_= It wasn't my idea to have a cliffhanger, but I suppose it's a nice change.


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